Kathmandu University Open Journal Systems
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Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom
Full text linkThere is a symbiotic relationship between language and literature. Language is the medium of literature, and literature exposes learners to language, thereby cultivating critical insight and language competency. As literature serves this dual purpose, this article therefore attempts to use “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson as teaching material for an EFL Classroom. To achieve that, the qualitative research method has been used to develop the text as an English language teaching material. The content analysis method has been applied to study the text. Necessary linguistic materials that address the four language learning skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking, have been explored to provide comprehensive teaching material. To improve reading and writing skills, comprehensive questions, phrase identification, filling in blanks, breaking down long sentences, changing sentences, and writing activities such as dialogue, essays, and summaries have been developed. To develop listening and speaking skills, role-play sessions, discussions, pronunciation practices, and vocabulary development processes have been implemented. Overall, the study has shown that “The Lottery” can provide learners with literary and linguistic benefits if used properly. Further studies may explore the contributions of this literary text to learn English as a foreign language
Living and Evolving as Women English Language Teachers
Full text linkThis paper explores how women English Language teachers evolve, navigating personal and professional struggles in their teaching careers through their lived experiences. We adopted narrative inquiry as a research method and conducted in-depth interviews with the participants, which allowed us to delve into their stories. We highlight the hindrances they encountered and the motivation and resilience that enabled them to remain committed to the profession. The analysis of their lived experiences, informed by the post-structural feminist perspective, reveals how sociocultural responsibilities, institutional expectations, and personal initiatives shape the identity of women teachers. They are pursuing higher studies to keep up with the evolving demands of the time and prove themselves; they are no less than males. Despite the obstacles posed by family responsibilities, the women teachers demonstrated their strengths in navigating challenges through determination and hard work. This research paper contributes to understanding the lived experiences of women teachers and how they grow, implying the supportive environment they require to foster their professional development
Navigating the Landscape of Contemplative Education and Psychological Wellbeing
Full text linkWe are pleased to present the inaugural issue of the Journal of Contemplative Education and Psychological Wellbeing, a platform dedicated to exploring the dynamic intersections of education, social and emotional health, educational psychology, school counseling, and contemplative practices. As the complexities of life in the 21st century continue to challenge traditional educational paradigms, there is a growing urgency to develop approaches that cultivate inner awareness, emotional resilience, and holistic wellbeing among learners, educators, and communities (Wang & Yorks, 2012). This journal responds to that call. Rooted in a vision of integrating intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of human development (Bainbridge & Del Negro, 2020), this journal invites scholarly and practice-based contributions that bridge Western scientific understanding with Eastern wisdom traditions. We aim to nurture a space where contemplative methods and psychological theories can be studied, applied, and reflected upon in meaningful ways within educational and counseling contexts
Current Practices of Socio-Emotional Learning in Early Childhood Development
Full text linkSocio-emotional learning (SEL) plays a vital role in early childhood development (ECD) by supporting children's thinking, emotional well-being, and social behavior. This study focuses on the importance of SEL in rural community ECD centers and explores the strategies facilitators use to promote socio-emotional growth among young children. This case study design involves classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with facilitators. The findings reveal that structured play, storytelling, and group activities are effective in fostering SEL. These methods enhance children's communication skills, teamwork, emotional expression, and problem-solving abilities. Storytelling helps children develop empathy and cultural awareness, while group activities promote cooperation and conflict resolution. The study highlights that SEL contributes to children's academic progress and strengthens their social relationships. It emphasizes the need for joint efforts among parents, teachers, and community to support children’s holistic development. Key implications include providing training for facilitators, involving parents in SEL activities, and offering adequate resources. Strengthening these areas is essential for nurturing emotionally resilient children who are better prepared to face future academic and social challenges
Mindfulness-based Self-care Practices of Counselors for Nurturing Wellbeing: An Auto/ethnographic Inquiry
Full text linkThis study explores mindfulness-based self-care practices of counsellors working in school setting and how it contributes to wellbeing. The study demonstrates that mindfulness improves self-care and wellbeing, reduces stress and burnout, balances mental and physical health, and compassion towards self and others. This study further unpacks how counselors notice signs of stress and burnout, their existing self-care practices, and how they practice mindfulness in their daily life to enhance their wellbeing. This study follows a Buddhist perspective and is centralized within Buddhist principles. The study was done within three months using the auto/ethnographic method. The narratives offer experiences of school counselors’ challenges in school and how they deal with them, experiences of stress and burnout, existing self-care practices in their life areas, and reflection on need for changes in their self-care practices. Semi-structured interviews as well as arts-based work and photographs with three counselors working in school setting and journaling of Author 1 throughout the research period was documented. The first author reflects on her roles as counselor, Gestalt psychotherapist, mindfulness practitioner, and Buddhist student, in conversation with the second author role as mentor and educator with an Eastern perspective. Through an auto/ ethnographic inquiry, the study uses self-reflection of mindfulness practice and mindful inquiry with four counselors to gather, analyze and interpret self-reflective materials. This study contributes to knowledge that possibly enhances the development of the university curriculum in terms of the teaching, training, and supervision of self-care practices. It advocates the need for self-care for counselors in school
The CFER in English and Communication Competence: A Decolonial Perspective
No full textThe process of migrating from a non-English-speaking and developing country outside Europe to an English-speaking developed country is a prerequisite to having communicative competence in English to work and reside in an English-speaking country, particularly the United Kingdom (UK). The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) assesses and describes the communicative competence level of a foreign language speaker in a European language. The development of English language competence as a foreign or second language learner is gradually phased out in favour of English or other European languages. Preliminary findings suggest a growing demand for communicative competence in English in higher education, a need that has paved the way for the CEFR to be adopted in non-English speaking countries outside Europe. The communicative approach aligned with the CEFR descriptors dominates English Language Education. This paper argues that communicative competence has dominated linguistic competence, and UK-based organisations and publishing houses have contributed to this dominance, utilising the CEFR descriptors as a tool
Study of quasi-periodic oscillation in X-ray lightcurve of BL Lac using Swift/XRT
No full textWe analyzed 17 years (2005–2022) of X-ray time series data from the BL LAC object, a type of active galactic nucleus, using open data from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Data with exposure times exceeding 1000 seconds in photon-counting (PC) and windowed timing (WT) modes were processed using HEASoft, software. Rapid XRT data analysis revealed quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in BL LAC, a bright source potentially influenced by complex motions, such as those of a supermassive binary black hole system. We employed power spectral density (PSD), epoch folding, and autocorrelation function (ACF) methods to investigate periodicity. The light curve exhibited red noise characteristics, and frequency domain analysis confirmed a 1.593 hour QPO. These findings contribute to understanding the variability and potential binary nature of BL LAC objects
A landmark-based addressing framework for urban navigation using geospatial clustering and pathfinding algorithm
Full text linkUrban navigation in rapidly growing cities often faces challenges due to incomplete addressing systems, especially in cities like Kathmandu, Nepal, where traditional street-based systems are unreliable. This study proposes a landmark-based addressing framework that integrates culturally significant landmarks with modern geospatial tools such as OpenStreetMap (OSM), GeoPandas, Hierarchical Hexagonal Indexing (H3), Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN), and A* search for optimized pathfinding, supported by PostgreSQL and its spatial extension, PostGIS for scalable data management. A web-based interface built with Leaflet.js and FastAPI provides real-time access to landmark-based navigation tools. Simulation results, conducted on a comprehensive dataset of 149,054 buildings in Kathmandu, reveal that the landmark-based system significantly outperforms traditional approaches. The average path length was reduced by 37.7% (from 69.22 to 43.12 nodes), and the average travel time decreased by 22.9% (from 550.86 to 424.92 seconds). This system offers a practical and scalable solution for urban navigation, emergency response, and service delivery in cities with informal or incomplete addressing infrastructures
A steady MHD thin film flow of carreau fluid down an inclined plane with viscous and magnetic dissipation under slip boundary
Full text linkThis paper presents an investigation of a steady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) thin-film flow of a Carreau fluid down an inclined plane with viscous and magnetic dissipation under slip boundary condition. The derived non-linear ODEs that govern the flow of both the velocity and temperature profile were solved using perturbation method with MAPLE software. The impact of few parameters like Magnetic field (M), Brinkmann number (Br), Gravitational force (G), and the slip parameter (β), on the velocity and temperature profiles were identified and demonstrated graphically. The result shows that the velocity and temperature reduced significantly when the Magnetic field parameter increases and both increases as the slip parameter β increases. As there is rise in the gravitational force G, the velocity diminishes while the temperature intensifies. There was an increase in velocity and temperature circulation of the moving fluid due to the rise in the slip parameter, signifying enhanced heat transfer by upward flow of the fluid. Increase in Brinkmann has no effect on the velocity of the fluid
Mapping stakeholders in the development of eco-cities: Insights from Nepal and Indonesia
Full text linkUrban areas are dynamic and intricate, encompassing various social, economic, ecological, and cultural aspects. It's crucial to employ effective approaches and management methods to achieve sustainable urban development. Stakeholder analysis is pivotal in understanding their roles and responsibilities in this process. By analyzing potential stakeholders and their responsibilities, enhances achieving development goals. This paper uses ‘solid waste bank’ and ‘socio-cultural water management approach’ case of Surabaya, Indonesia and Lalitpur, Nepal respectively. The challenges stakeholders face when implementing have been studied and mapped. Additionally, the significance of stakeholders in implementing development plans and policies has been reviewed through relevant journals and reports, considering the current cases of solid waste management and water management only. The mapping of stakeholders’ problems and prospects revealed that none of the stakeholders had low influence and low importance in both Nepal and Indonesia. This finding suggests that further studies could explore other relevant aspects of the stakeholder dynamics that could contribute to developing eco-city in both the countries. Also mapping, synthesizing both situation and stakeholder of other practices, and upgrading the practices as well may help achieve eco-city, which is unique, inclusive and has the contextual flavors