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Enhancing Blended Learning Quality: Perspectives of Omani University Students During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThe global COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online learning materials, activities, and interactive tools, both synchronous and asynchronous, to enhance students' educational experiences. This research empirically evaluates the value that Omani university students assign to online learning and teaching, particularly in supporting their face-to-face education within the blended learning framework during the pandemic and beyond. The study used a mixed-methods research design to collect data through quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. A total of 106 participants from Sohar University completed the survey, and 20 of them were selected for follow-up interviews. The findings indicate that, overall, students expressed satisfaction with the quality of online learning and teaching materials in the blended learning context. However, some students expressed dissatisfaction with the online interaction and teacher feedback. Specifically, the absence of individualised teacher feedback seems to have negatively affected students' motivation to engage in practice activities and discuss them with teachers during face-to-face sessions. The study offers pedagogical insights into effective integration of online technologies in educational programs and the utilisation of online platforms for technology-mediated instruction in higher education
Book Review: Exploring L1–L2 relationships: The impact of individual differences, Richard L. Sparks (2022), 392 pp., $ 159.9, Hardback, ISBN: 978-1-800-411791, Multilingual Matters.
Get PDFThe book, written by Professor Richard Sparks, showcases his extensive research on language education, psychology, and bilingualism. The volume is a compilation of his influential articles that address key issues in current language education and applied linguistics. The book sheds light on the intricate relationship between bilingual learners’ native language (L1) skills and their foreign or second language (L2) learning. Sparks employs numerous empirical studies, many of which are longitudinal in nature, to underpin his theories. His contributions to applied linguistics and language education are unique and extensive. His insights on language aptitude, couched within his Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), have been well thought out, well grounded, and well supported by his own studies and those conducted by other scholars applying the model. The LCDH proposes that people with language impairments struggle with language due to difficulties in processing and manipulating its structure in their minds. This deficit affects their ability to recognize sounds, syllables, words, and understand grammar
Using teacher-supported peer feedback to develop student feedback literacy in L2 writing: An instructional model
Get PDFTo realize the potential of feedback, students need to possess feedback literacy. Frequently implemented in writing classrooms, peer feedback activities carry unique potential for developing student feedback literacy. This paper proposes an instructional model of teacher-supported peer feedback in relation to the enhancement of student feedback literacy from a self-regulatory perspective. The paper conceptualizes student feedback literacy as learners’ capabilities to carry out core activities in feedback processes, including seeking, generating, processing, and using feedback during self-regulation. It outlines pertinent teacher support before, during, and after peer feedback activities to facilitate student writers’ seeking, generating, processing, and using of feedback during their behavioral self-regulation of writing encompassing self-observation, self-judgement, and self-reaction. The instructional model highlights teacher support to foster an active learner role in feedback processes by giving students opportunities to conduct several rounds of feedback calibration by themselves before seeking teacher feedback. Future studies may investigate the implementation and effectiveness of the instructional model
Audio versus written feedback: Multilingual students’ perspective in a U.S. composition class
Get PDFThis article aims to fill the existing gap in the research which indicates that few researchers have examined multilingual writers’ preference between audio and written feedback, and the impact of feedback format on their revision process in a U.S. composition class. To explore these, eight multilingual writers were interviewed, and their first drafts and revised drafts of the final research paper on which they received both audio and written feedback were compared using the “Compare” option in Microsoft Word. In addition to these, an early semester participatory survey and a reflection survey were conducted among the multilingual writers of a composition course. Results indicated that those who were confident about their English listening proficiency preferred audio feedback over written feedback. Results also indicated that multilingual writers expected directive explicit feedback from their instructors. Their perceptions regarding the effectiveness of audio and written feedback on their revision process varied depending on their own self-efficacy. Finally, the author recommends further investigating the potential of audio feedback in creating student-teacher connections, particularly in online composition courses
The Role of the School Principal in the Context of Possible Transformation of the Educational Curriculum
Get PDFIn the paper, we present the current Czech educational legal norms that set certain boundaries in the operation of Czech primary and secondary schools. In the first part of the article, we present the role of the current school principal in relation to his/her competencies in the context of basic Czech educational norms and present a competence model of school principals, the fulfilment of which by school principals can lead to stabilization and a greater degree of effective education in the context of the educational challenges of the 21st century. In the second part of the paper, we propose the possibilities of optimization of legal norms in education and its possible effective integration into the real educational process. In summary, we can conclude that it should be a matter of greater transparency in the training of teaching staff and school principals, the introduction of an optional direct teaching obligation for school principals, the introduction of mechanisms that would lead to a greater degree of familiarity of teachers and principals with the current legal educational norms and their changes, or the development of a unified and comprehensive concept of teaching within one school. We are aware that the proposed solutions have their limits. The most significant is the increase in the administrative burden on school principals: however, we believe that without the introduction of transparent and verifiable mechanisms to check the fulfilment of certain obligations, it will not be possible to check the obligations in question
A Comparison of In-class Student Engagement and School Environment between Refugee and Host Community Students
Get PDFAs wars and persecutions persist in many parts of the world, education and integration programmes for refugees have received more attention in recent years. This research attempts to illuminate differences between the host community and refugee students through students' eyes in the Kurdistan region of Iraq- Sulaymaniyah city. Our main research aims were to have a quantitative understanding of the differences and associations between the elements of in-class student engagement (preparations for classes, active listening and participation) and school environment (social environment: student-teacher relationship, student-student relationship and physical environment). The sample consisted of 193 grade 8 and 9 students in Sulaymaniyah province (104 host community students and 89 Syrian refugee students). The comparative analysis was made based on the available data and study statistics. The statistical analysis showed that there were significant statistical differences between the two groups of students regarding preparation for classes and class participation, while there was not a significant difference between them regarding active listening in class. Significant differences related to social and environment satisfaction were also revealed. Through correlation tests, associations were found between in-class student engagement and social environment elements
The Effect of Concept Map Strategy on Academic Achievement and Student Retention in Biology Education
Get PDFThe present study aimed at the effect of concept mapping strategies on learners’ achievement and retention in biology teaching. A pretest/posttest quasi-experimental research design was adopted with one control and experimental group. The target population was male students who studied in second grade of high school in 2023-22 educational year in Iran. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample of students. Considering the Cohen tables and statistical assumptions, a sample size of 40 participants was estimated. They were then randomly assigned to each group. The experimental group made use of concept mapping strategies, while the control group was taught using the traditional methods. An academic achievement teacher made test was administered to all groups as a pretest / posttest and biology achievement retention teacher made test, a separate delayed posttest was administered after three weeks to the learners of the groups. The obtained data were analyzed using one-way Ancova test. The results indicated that concept mapping strategies had a significant effect on learners’ achievement. Analysis of the data using t-tests revealed that the retention of biology teaching by using concept mapping strategies was significantly higher in comparison to the traditional methods
A Framework Towards Customer Lifetime Value’s Macro and Micro Dimensions in the Service Sector: A State-of-the-Art Review
Get PDFToday, the role of customer relationship management as a strategic tool in the development of production and service organizations as well as attracting and retaining customers in competitive industries is undeniable. The main core of customer relationship management is identifying, valuing, segmenting customers and optimally allocating resources to customers according to the value they bring to the organization. Customer lifetime value is a tool for calculating the value that a customer brings to businesses during the lifetime of their relationship. The purpose of this article is to present the framework of variables affecting CLV in the service sector by systematic review method. 83 variables were extracted from the 31 final selected articles in the field of CLV in various service industries. Based on the results, five categories of variables have an effect on CLV in the service sector, which include customer variables, financial variables, product variables, selling variables, and demographic variables
Conditions for Corporate Business Excellence at the Global Level
Get PDFAchieving excellence in business management practices in corporations and other business systems is imperative that focuses on managerial and leadership responsibility and commitment. What is at stake is the significant and fundamental readiness of leaders and managers to execute business planning strategies within the framework of new changes that should bring about the successful implementation of business. This is achieved if there are good foundations for people's actions, based on emotions for successful work, positive interpersonal relationships, motivation, etc. The goal is that managerial and leadership activities are focused on entrepreneurial activities, higher productivity, and other common values for creating excellent and profitable companies. The question arises, "How do today's communication equations change the style of an effective leader and manager?" The difference in business when it comes to the leadership of today's 21st century and the past 20th century, exists in the organization of business to provide services to customers. This means that communication is of great importance in the management and leadership of large and small organizations in the world. The assumption is that the existence of virtual conducting of meetings and the application of virtual reality tools has its own value that may exist even in 2024, but the attitude towards the significant values of business organizations imposed by such tools cannot be changed. For business development, one should keep in mind the importance of key performances and characteristics of global production, such as: business excellence, consumer demands for high quality products and services, quality communications, marketing, business topicality of social networks, distribution of information, goods and services, and consumption around the world, new technologies, sizes and structures of companies in the industry, etc. Accordingly, the role of managers and leaders is to understand the new premises of global production in industrial areas at the world level. To fulfill the necessary conditions of excellence, attention is directed to the research of strategic changes viewed through the prism of management and leadership, which will conceive a structured organizational framework. Such a method requires a top leader to formulate business perfection by putting people in the right place, as well as his own willingness to help people solve all business tasks that will become more and more difficult and complex in the future. 
EFL Low-Achieving Learners and Effectiveness of Remedial Instruction
Get PDFMany institutes conduct extra English classes to allow weaker students to improve their English proficiency and cope with institutions' language demands. The study, therefore, sought to discover English as a Foreign Language (EFL) low-achieving learners' perceptions and motivation toward the English remedial program. The study also investigated the gender difference among the participants regarding the remedial classes. Forty-five Omani elementary-level students were selected as the population of this study. To collect the data, a questionnaire adapted from Salami (2019) was used along with the interview sessions using six open-ended questions. The study's results revealed that Omani students were strongly motivated to enroll in English remedial classes. Moreover, they had positive perceptions toward English remedial courses. The findings also revealed that Omani female students were slightly more interested in English remedial courses. Therefore, the study will significantly motivate teachers and institutions to focus on providing English remedial classes for their low-achieving students