Research in Social Sciences and Technology
Not a member yet
299 research outputs found
Sort by
Predictors of Success in Advance Higher Education: A Case in Northwest Samar State University, Philippines
Get PDFTeachers play a significant role in the preparation of our youth as they make important decisions about education, work, and life. Existing studies on the correlations between teaching proficiency and academic performance of the students are primarily limited to elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Considering the big difference between advance higher education and other educational levels, there is a need to explore the relationship of the teaching proficiency to the academic performance of the students in advance higher education. This study made use of the descriptive-correlation research design. Survey questionnaires were distributed to all advance higher education faculty members and students from School Years 2015 to 2017 at Northwest Samar State University. Statistical tools like frequency and percentage distribution, means, standard deviations, and regression analysis were used for the analysis of the data. Results showed that most of the advance higher education faculty members are male, married, doctorate holders, professionals, research-oriented, very satisfactory performers, and possess good financial status. The best predictor of the academic performance of the advance higher education students is the work experience of the faculty members
The Effect of Strategic Collaboration Approach on the National Educational Standards Achievement and Service Quality in Basic Education at Local Government in Indonesia
Get PDFThis study measures the effect of strategic collaboration approach on the Educational National Standards (ENS) and the basic education service quality at local government in Indonesia The research used a quantitative method. We used 489 teachers and 271 school principals in primary and secondary schools. The data were collected through questionnaires for the quantitative data and analyze using a structural model. The research findings confirm strategic collaboration approach has a positive and significant effect on ENS and basic education service quality. Further, the educational national standards have a positive and significant effect on the basic education service. In this study, we found that the strategic collaboration approach may employ in basic education to perform basic education performance. We argue that to better implementation of strategic collaboration approach, the greater improvement of the achievement of ENS and basic education service quality at local government in Indonesia
Pathways to Mitigate Challenges of Learner Academic Performance in a Grade 10 Economics Class in South Africa
Get PDFThis paper aims to explore the pathways to mitigate challenges of learner academic (LAP) performance in a Grade 10 economics class in South Africa. The challenge of poor LAP has ushered a myriad of predicaments in schools globally. These predicaments include lack of teacher inclusion in decision making, inability to work cooperatively together, and lack of professional development opportunities geared towards LAP. The study was qualitative, with 15 participants chosen through purposeful sampling from one rural school in the Thabo-Mofutsanyane education district. This paper is couched in critical emancipatory research with emphasis on the emancipation of the teachers regarding pathways they can self-develop to mitigate the challenges of LAP. The focus group discussions were used to gather information regarding pathways to mitigate the challenges of LAP in schools. The study revealed that teachers possess a very equivocal and varying experience regarding the pathways to use to mitigate the challenges of LAP. The findings suggest that for successful implementation of pathways to mitigate the challenges of LAP, schools need to invest in training teachers for team-teaching and avail the necessary resources (both human and physical) to ensure effective quality teaching and learning exist in the school. The article recommends that schools should develop policy frameworks, together with relevant stakeholders, to guide novice teachers on the strategies they can use to mitigate the challenges of LAP in their classes
Equity in Distance Education During COVID-19
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic forced districts, schools, and teachers to mobilize in order to deal with the digital inequities that have existed for decades. At the beginning stages of technological advances in education, the so-called digital divide related more to access to technology and equipment. Utilizing the phenomenological approach to qualitative research, this study examines the experiences of educators who served students with differing experiences and needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Total of 14 (N) educators (including adminstrators, teachers, and counselors) participated likert style questionaires. 11 of 14 participated in focus group interviews. Findings are shared and conclusions are drawn.
 
Accounting Teachers’ Voices on Factors Affecting Online Teaching during the 4th Industrial Revolution in the Face of COVID-19 in Selected High Schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Get PDFThe most prominent debate in South Africa is how teachers will provide instruction online. The purposes of this article was to explore Accounting teachers’ voices on factors affecting online teaching. To this end, the researchers employed a qualitative approach and a case study research design. Interviews were used as a method to collect data from 10 Accounting teachers who were purposively selected. Thematic data analysis was used. The results revealed that, Accounting teachers are lacking required knowledge and skills needed to facilitate technology learning in their classrooms. Results further reveal that, online teaching arrived at an awkward moment when teachers were faced with COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes that teachers’ voices play an important role in any proposed changes in the classroom. The Eastern Cape Province where the study was conducted should quickly roll out infrastructure at all schools aiming to support online classrooms. It is recommended in this paper that teachers need to be workshopped in online teaching in order for them to perform effectively
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
Making Sense of the Unknown: A Narrative Analysis of COVID-19 Stories as Told by WSU Research Students
Get PDFStorytelling is an important tool through which to make sense of life experiences. Stories can be classified as personal narratives, historical documentaries and those that inform the viewer about a specific concept or practice. These narratives can be used to promote discussion about current issues in the world. Storytelling can thus be seen as an effective learning tool for students by providing a strong foundation in “Twenty First Century Literacy” skills as well as advancing emotional intelligence and social learning. This project used storytelling to gather information regarding people’s encounters with COVID-19 and lockdown, with specific focus on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Employing a content analysis methodology, it attempts to analyze responses to narrative inquiry interviews about the COVID-19 pandemic as conducted by students, as part of their introduction to the methodology of research. These responses were used to generalize findings, as well as to look at individual reactions that could bring light to, and make sense of the human experience of the pandemic within an educational context. Both negative and positive experiences were related by interviewees and students.
 
Investigating the Effects of E-Learning as a Method of Curriculum Dissemination for Rural TVET College Students
Get PDFThe study investigates the effects of e-learning as an alternative form of curriculum dissemination for rural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. This study adopted connectivism theory, which enabled lecturers to reflect and adapt to how learning has changed and the accompanying implications of designing the spaces and structures to the current mode of learning. The researcher made use of two research methods to gather data; phone interviews and questionnaires. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0, Office Word format. The results indicated that the unavailability of technological resources, lack of financial support from single parents’ side due to socio-economic factors, and child-headed families hinder the correct implementation of e-learning and make it difficult to reach its objectives
The Transformative Methodology: Expository Study of Teaching English as the Second Language Acquisition
Get PDFThe significance of language as a science in the educational sector has continued to play a critical role in terms of teaching and learning. However, due to inequalities exposed severely by the Covid-19 pandemic, the teaching of English as the second language acquisition to foreign speakers; is adversely affected. Therefore, the use of transformative methodology as the teaching strategy is explored to determine the most suitable methodology of teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study utilizes Participatory Action Research as the approach to explore the efficacy of transformative methodology; this approach is embedded in the paradigmatic principles of constructivism as the lens of qualitative methodology. Besides, the data is analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis post the generation of it using observations and semi-structured interviews (free attitudinal interviews). The paper demonstrates the prospects of using transformative methodology as the appropriate use of pedagogical strategy for English as the second language acquisition, it also suggests efficient but costly measures required to be implemented by the universities for the use of the transformative methodology
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