Research in Social Sciences and Technology (E-Journals)
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Learning Styles and Instructional Materials as Correlates of Grade 6 Learners`' Mathematics Performance in Buffalo City, South Africa
Get PDFMathematics is a core subject in South Africa. Studies have shown that the performance of learners on this subject is not encouraging. Many factors have been alluded to by scholars as contributing factors to this poor performance. The gap between theory and practice of mathematics teaching can be bridged by the use of appropriate learning styles, availability, and utilization of instructional. This paper finds out the relationship that exists among learning styles, instructional materials, and mathematics performance of Grade 6. The choice of Grade 6 is important because it is the last grade level of primary school before a learner can enter secondary school level in South Africa. The study adopted a correlational research design of a quantitative approach. Stratified sampling techniques were used to select 1225 learners from Grade 6 schools within Buffalo City Metropolitan Education District. The data revealed among others that in Buffalo City, availability and utilization of instructional materials have no significant relationship with the mathematics performance of selected grade 6 learners (B=.023, t=.804, P≥0.05) while students learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic) have a significant relationship with grade 6 learners Mathematics performance (B=-.113, t=-3.886, p<0.05). The study concluded that one of the most fundamental issues to consider in improving Mathematics performance is the understanding of the learners’ learning styles and effective use of appropriate instructional materials for teaching Mathematics
Alteration of Consumption Habits in Turkey Over Time
Get PDFSimon Kuznets and John Maynard Keynes did research on the subject of propensity to consume. Kuznets asserted that people do not alter their consumption/saving ratio and spend more when they have more disposable income. Keynes alleged that when disposable income increases, the rate of saving also increases over time because people tend to keep their consumption habits steady. Namely, the consumption/saving ratio of households or individuals tends to decrease as disposable income goes up. And in this study, the Keynesian consumption function is investigated in the Turkish economy. The result of this research might give insight into the future of the consumption/saving ratio in Turkey. In the study, the ARDL econometric model is operated with data from the Turkish Statistical Institute. The result of the study is that people change their consumption habits with the increase of disposable income. As a result, the consumption level has been slowing down, and the propensity to consume diminishes. That proves that the Keynesian consumption function holds in Turkey
A COVID-19 Re-envisioned Teaching Practicum Curriculum
Get PDFThe changes taking place in the schooling landscape because of the coronavirus are real and meaningful and have implications for the training of preservice teachers, especially the teaching practicum component of their initial teacher education programs. The havoc caused by COVID-19 forced many faculties of education into a state of ‘panic-gogy’ to ensure that student teachers could complete their teaching practicums. In this paper we argue that consideration should be given to core teaching practices and practice-based teacher education pedagogies (i.e., representations and approximations) that can be used in alternative “placement contexts” that will supplement and harness the authenticity of school-based experiences. We provide two conceptual tools, collaboratively developed by teaching practicum educators and mentor teachers, that can be used as heuristic by other university-school partnerships when considering teaching practicum redesign efforts
Cross-fertilization in Teaching and Learning between Institutions after COVID-19 Shutdown: A Collaborative Effort
Get PDFResearch reported in this article investigated the effectiveness of collaborative effort between schools to bridge the existing gaps that erupted during the outbreak of COVID-19. There are gaps in teaching and learning within the previously privileged institutions and the marginalised institutions in South Africa. Such gaps might have a negative impact on how teaching and learning are conducted. The purpose of this article was to investigate the creative and constructive ways of managing the anxiety related to socio-economic impacts in schools, amongst which were the introduction of online teaching and learning technologies, new methodologies and contents. This article is underpinned by the concepts of the establishment of advantageous strategies for collaboration, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. Qualitative document analysis has been adopted as a methodology to collect information for this study. The outbreak of COVID-19 has evoked inequalities amongst the communities. However, the re-opening of schools exacerbated multiple challenges. While teaching and learning is the centre of the education project in South Africa, which the country has to adapt to, most institutions were faced with a number of challenges. This study’s major finding revealed that collaboration is synergistic and can bring out the best contribution that might currently perceive partnership within the school system. This article recommends ways of bridging the gap between schools through developing partnerships between institutions through cross-fertilisation
Effectiveness of Online Training for Rural Entrepreneurs During a Global Pandemic
Get PDFThe ability of rural entrepreneurs to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic greatly depends on their knowledge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to support online business. In this study, online surveys were conducted to assess the readiness and acceptance of rural entrepreneurs in adopting to the pandemic using the available technologies. Data collected were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using ANOVA. Online training modules were designed based on their specific needs. Although participants indicated that their frequency and skills of using the electronic devices or applications had generally increased or improved after the training, the increment was not statistically significant (α=0.05). This indicated that while the participants, to some extent, benefited from the online training provided, there has not been a significant impact on them
Mentor-Mentee Experiences Amidst COVID-19: A Teaching Practice Case Study
Get PDFPreparing student teachers for the world of work is seen globally as a challenge. This research aims to explore mentors and mentees experiences in teaching practice during the COVID-19 period. In order to explore the challenge in this study, the following research question guided the paper: What are the teaching practice experiences of mentors and mentees at a school during COVID-19? The research question is a result of limited research done on the experiences of two groups during COVID-19. Informed by the realist social theory, we generated data via telephonic interviews with mentors and mentees in one school. The data was generated through semi-structured Interviews and thematic analysis was a method employed in the analysis of the data. The results present challenges experienced by mentees which, amongst others, include a feeling of inadequacy or a lack of confidence in their abilities to bring about order to the classroom and a feeling of being excluded in meetings and extra-curricular activities. On the other hand, mentors receive mentees without any prior warning or without arrangements made to accommodate them and the absence of the university officials except for assessment. Based on the results, a collaborative approach should be employed to deal with some of the challenges experienced by mentors and mentees
Black Students’ Experiences of Academic Support Programs during First Year at University: Case of Extended Studies
Get PDFIn the last three decades, historically white, liberal arts universities began to admit small numbers of black students from rural communities because apartheid policies relaxed. However, those liberal arts universities had doubts about black students’ key skills and knowledge to cope with the demands of higher education. This situation gave birth to Extended Studies Program (ESP) whereby the traditional three-year degree program was extended by a year to close this gap. This study seeks to answer the question: What are black students’ experiences and views about academic support offered to them during their first year at university? In this study both qualitative and quantitative research methods were followed, and purposive sampling was deployed. Data were generated from different sources for triangulation, namely questionnaires and interviews. Participants (N=104) were made of 43 males and 61 females. The results of the study suggest that the need for academic support is not exclusive to first-year students. Improved systematic academic support gives rise to improved student academic performance. Throughout the study, necessity, and urgency of Academic Support Programs (ASPs) is recognized. Recommendations are made suggesting that ASPs be administered throughout the undergraduate programs and not just at the first-year level of study
Medicinal gardens as an educational strategy in the teaching of the natural sciences: A pedagogical proposal
Get PDFThe main aim of this paper was to analyze how medicinal gardens in secondary schools can improve teaching-learning processes in rural settings. The sample comprised 179 students (69.3% girls) from a rural public secondary school in the province of Huila (Colombia). The age of the participants ranged from 15 to 17 years with a mean of 15.86 years (SD = 0.86). Seeking school motivation strategies for rural students from a rural institution in the municipality of Guadalupe, teachers of the natural sciences designed didactic-pedagogical alternatives employing situated learning that would allow them to contribute to solving school problems and environmental issues affecting rural areas. The environmental phenomena included the loss of fertile soils and the harmful effects of the use of agrochemicals. Medicinal gardens together with situated learning activities proved a useful teaching tool in formal rural educational settings
Students’ Responses to Multi-Modal Emergency Remote Learning During COVID-19 in a South African Higher Institution
Get PDFCOVID-19 pandemic forced several higher education institutions (HEI) to operate remotely. Emergency remote teaching, using synchronous and asynchronous instruction, was adopted by several HEIs. The experiences of students with remote teaching and learning in certain situations are not fully understood, thus need to be explored. This study explored the experiences of students with the emergency remote teaching and learning practices adopted at a selected HEI in South Africa. A cross-sectional and self-administered survey was used to gather data from 243 conveniently sampled returning students within the Department of Accounting and Finance. Descriptive statistics were used to make sense of the collected data. The study found that students preferred a face-to-face approach to learning to remote learning. The respondents underscored insufficient data, unstable network connection, unconducive home environments and loneliness as deterrents to effective remote learning. Despite these negative experiences, students appreciated the flexibility and convenience of recorded video lectures and acknowledged the compassion and support of lecturers during remote learning. An understanding of the experiences of students during remote learning provides a basis for future teaching plans, which would improve students' learning experiences. In its current format and students living in their home environments, remote learning greatly diminishes the chances of success for most students. Lecturers need to be compassionate and considerate of student’s struggles in their plans for remote teaching and learning as well as online learning
E-learning Facilities for Teaching Secondary School Physics: Awareness, Availability and Utilization
Get PDFSecondary school physics contribute significantly to the technological development of a nation because it lays the foundation for further studies in physics. Physics is an abstract science subject that relies greatly on practical, and the crucial role played by the use of instructional materials especially, e-learning facilities in this 21st century cannot be over emphasized. This study investigates the awareness, availability and utilization of e-learning facilities among secondary school physics teachers. We adopt the descriptive survey design which involved 78 physics teachers, randomly selected from all the secondary schools in Ondo, Nigeria. A researcher designed checklist was used to collect data for this study. Three research questions were answered using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and the findings from this investigation revealed that physics teachers are aware of most of the e-learning facilities for teaching secondary school physics but only few of these facilities are readily available for teaching physics. This investigation also revealed that only one of these e-learning facilities (desktop computer) was utilized by secondary school physics teachers. This study conclude that e-learning facilities were not used in teaching secondary school physics in Ondo. Based on this findings, physics teachers are encouraged to use the few e-learning facilities that are available in secondary schools. Also, government education agencies and school management team are encouraged to further stress the importance of using the available e-learning facilities for teaching secondary school physics through in-service trainings and workshops