1,720,956 research outputs found
Integrating computer-related technology into instructional practice at a higher learning institution in Malaysia
No full textMalaysian Higher Learning institutions have embraced the 21st century skills in teaching and learning to ensure career readiness among learners. Information Communication Technology tools provide the opportunity for educators to address problem-solving and project-based learning in both face-to-face and blended learning. However, there have been issues of educators’ awareness and skills in utilizing the technology tools in the instructional processes. This study attempts to explore the experience and awareness among lecturers to integrate computer-related technologies in undergraduate classrooms. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with two lecturers who are experts in foreign language and one from Instructional Technology field. In-depth semi structured interviews and observations became the main qualitative instruments for this study. The purpose of the study sought to reveal the pedagogical approach and types of Information technology adopted in the classrooms. This study addressed their awareness and issues related to the use of technology in the classroom. The results were thematized based on Web 2.0 tools integration, pedagogical approach in addressing higher order thinking skills and student career readiness. Lecturers were found to be aware of the relevance of Web 2.0 tools for instructional purposes. However, they highlighted low internet speed as the main challenge in their efforts to integrate technology into their instructional activities. This research contributes to the area of TPACK (Technology Pedagogical Content Knowledge) by highlighting the application of computer-related technologies into classroom instruction and how such technologies are matched with learner-centered instructional strategies to enhance learners’ 21st century skills that are essential for career readiness
Assessing the Effectiveness of Teachers’ Motivational Strategies on Students’ Academic Achievement in Public Secondary Schools. A Case of Morogoro District Council, Tanzania
Get PDFThis study investigated the effectiveness of teachers’ use of motivational strategies to enhance students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Morogoro District Council, Tanzania. Employing a mixed methods approach, the research sampled 91 teachers across five purposively selected schools. Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires and analysed using SPSS, while qualitative insights were gathered through interviews. The findings revealed that while most teachers are aware of motivational strategies, their application in classrooms remains inconsistent. Contributing factors include lack of training, inadequate teaching resources, large class sizes, and limited support from educational inspectors. The study concludes that insufficient use of motivational strategies negatively affects students' academic achievement, particularly in national examinations. It recommends regular teacher training, improved school resources, and more frequent school inspections to enhance teaching practices and student performanc
Investigating web 2.0 tools use and students cognitive engagement in selected Tanzanian higher institutions: preparing towards 21st learning
No full textWith the availability and affordability of
computers and communication technology devices
worldwide, teaching no longer centers around teachers.
Students become autonomous learners, taking the
ownership of learning where they no longer rely fully on
teachers as the learning resources. This paves innovative
intervention towards engaging the learners cognitively
using Web 2.0 tools. Web 2.0 tools offer learners to engage
in higher order thinking skills involving not just to
understand and apply but also to analyze, evaluate and
create through two-way communications and
collaborations. Due to the pedagogical potentials of Web
2.0 tools, this study attempts to investigate how the students
involve Web 2.0 tools in supporting classroom learning.
This study employed a questionnaire survey among students
at a Higher Learning Institution involving 100 samples.
This is a preliminary study prior to the final study involving
bigger populations from different universities. Interviews
were also carried out among three students to gain in-depth
understanding of learning that enables the researcher to
derive a conceptual model. The related main ideas from
each interviewee were gathered to get commonality of
themes. And finally, main themes were generated. A
systematic data analysis was done based on developing
themes in an inductive way as directed by the content of
data. The findings reveal that the majority of students use Web 2.0 tools for finding resources, communication and for both low and higher order thinking skills. Further findings show that Academic readiness contributed significantly on students cognitive engagement while Use of Web 2.0 tools did not contribute significantly. Implications of the study address the theoretical and practical aspects
Exploring Teachers’ Perceptions of English Teaching Method Preferences and Learning Styles in Selected Secondary Schools of Morogoro Municipality
Get PDFThis study explored teachers’ perceptions of English teaching method preferences and learning styles in selected secondary schools of Morogoro Municipality by finding their impacts on teaching and learning styles and the challenges of matching English teaching method preferences and learning styles in secondary schools. The study used an exploratory case study design under a qualitative approach where five teachers from five selected schools consisting of four males and one female were selected purposely and voluntarily to be interviewed using semi-structured questions. The results indicate that three teaching methods are mostly preferred by teachers: learner-centred, engagement style, and multiple styles methods. These methods assist learners to achieve good performance in their studies. Moreover, the aforementioned approaches affect the teaching process as they are more effective in facilitating teachers’ tasks. However, shortage of teaching materials, English language communication barriers, shortage of classroom facilities, and students’ readiness are the challenges in implementing teaching preferences and learning styles in English classes. It is therefore recommended that English teachers should work out to improve their utilization of teaching methods and learning styles to reduce the setbacks found in this study. Additionally, curriculum developers, the Ministry of Education, and other education stakeholders may consider the findings of this study for tackling the challenges faced by English teachers in secondary school
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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