Search results for: inclusive learning environment

Authors: Siddhi Deshpande, Jo Jo Chacko Eapen

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Despite almost half of India’s female population engages in watching sports, their experiences in the sports fandom are concealed by ‘traditional masculinity,’ leading to potential exclusion and harassment. To explore these experiences in-depth, this qualitative study aims to understand what coping strategies Indian women fans employ, to sustain their team identification. Employing criterion sampling, participants were screened using The Sports Spectators Identification Scale (SSIS) to assess team identification and a Brief Sexism Questionnaire to confirm participants’ experience with sexism as it aligns with the purpose of the study. The participants were Indian women who had been following any sport for more than eight years, were fluent in English, and were not professionals in Sports. Ten highly identified fans with gendered experiences were recruited for one-on-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The data was analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to understand the lived-in experiences of women fans experiencing sexism and gender stereotypes, revealing superordinate themes of (1) Ontogenesis and Emotional Investment; (2) Gendered Expectations and Sexism; (3) Coping Strategies and Resilience; (4) Identity, Femininity, Empowerment; (5) Advocacy for Equality and Inclusivity. The findings reflect that Indian women fans experience social exclusion, harassment, sexualization, and commodification, in both online and offline fandoms, where they are disproportionately targeted with threats, misogynistic comments, and attraction-based assumptions, questioning their ‘authenticity’ as fans due to their gender. Women fans interchange between proactive strategies of assertiveness, humor, and knowledge demonstration with defensive strategies of selective engagement, self-regulatory censorship, and desensitization to deal with sexism. In this interplay, the integration of women’s ‘fan identity’ with their self-concept showcases how being a sports fan adds meaning to their lives, despite the constant scrutiny in a male-dominated space, reflecting that femininity and sports should coexist. As a result, they find refuge in female fan communities due to their similar experiences in the fandom and advocate for an equal and inclusive environment where sports are above gender, and not the other way around. A key practical implication of this research is enabling sports organizations to develop inclusive fan engagement policies that actively encourage female fan participation. This includes sensitizing stadium staff and security personnel, promoting gender-neutral language, and, most importantly, establishing safety protocols to protect female fans from adverse experiences in the fandom.

Keywords: coping strategies, female sports fans, femininity, gendered experiences, team identification

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Authors: Samina Khalid, Shamila Nasreen

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Dimensionality reduction as a preprocessing step to machine learning is effective in removing irrelevant and redundant data, increasing learning accuracy, and improving result comprehensibility. However, the recent increase of dimensionality of data poses a severe challenge to many existing feature selection and feature extraction methods with respect to efficiency and effectiveness. In the field of machine learning and pattern recognition, dimensionality reduction is important area, where many approaches have been proposed. In this paper, some widely used feature selection and feature extraction techniques have analyzed with the purpose of how effectively these techniques can be used to achieve high performance of learning algorithms that ultimately improves predictive accuracy of classifier. An endeavor to analyze dimensionality reduction techniques briefly with the purpose to investigate strengths and weaknesses of some widely used dimensionality reduction methods is presented.

Keywords: age related macular degeneration, feature selection feature subset selection feature extraction/transformation, FSA’s, relief, correlation based method, PCA, ICA

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Authors: Khalid A. Alotaibi

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To assess the students, there are different strategies adopted by teachers and all are important while taking their scope into consideration. Teachers may face some obstacles that prevent them using the assessment for learning. These obstacles can be internal or external. The present study has been collected from two regions (Riyadh and Hotat Bani Tamim) of Saudi Arabia, with sample size of 174 teachers. The results of the study have shown that the significant factors that can prevent teachers using assessment for learning are; the way of introducing the new form of assessment, lack of teachers' training, clarity of the regulations and size of students in the class. Additionally, other elements have also shown in this paper.

Keywords: teachers, assessment, assessment for learning, internal factors and external factors

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Authors: Mei-Hui Liu

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This study examines the effectiveness of a blended professional development program on preservice EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers’ learning to teach speech acts with the advent of Information and Communication Technology, researchers and scholars underscore the significance of integrating online and face-to-face learning opportunities in the teacher education field. Yet, a paucity of evidence has been documented to investigate the extent to which such a blended professional learning model may impact real classroom practice and student learning outcome. This yearlong project involves various stakeholders, including 25 preservice teachers, 5 English professionals, and 45 secondary school students. Multiple data sources collected are surveys, interviews, reflection journals, online discussion messages, artifacts, and discourse completion tests. Relying on the theoretical lenses of Community of Inquiry, data analysis depicts the nature and process of preservice teachers’ professional development in this blended learning community, which triggers and fosters both face-to-face and synchronous/asynchronous online interactions among preservice teachers and English professionals (i.e., university faculty and in-service teachers). Also included is the student learning outcome after preservice teachers put what they learn from the support community into instructional practice. Pedagogical implications and research suggestions are further provided based on the research findings and limitations.

Keywords: blended professional development, preservice EFL teachers, speech act instruction, student learning outcome

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Authors: Petr Sulc, Hana Maresova

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This contribution focuses on online educational tools and language teaching, specifically on literary education in a multi-user virtual environment. The goal of this contribution is to give a basic overview of online language education and teaching in a virtual environment. The main goal of the research survey is to compare language (literary) education in a virtual environment with the traditional way of teaching in a typical classroom. The research concept will be mixed: a didactic test, the grounded theory method, and semi-structured questioning will be used. Kitely’s multi-user virtual environment and printed worksheets will be used for the comparison.

Keywords: online educational tools, virtual environment, virtual teaching objects, literary education, didactic test

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Authors: Shirly May Balais

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This study aims to evaluate the effects of vocabulary instruction in improving the students’ learning in science. The teacher-researcher utilized the vocabulary instructional materials in enriching the science vocabulary of grade four learners. The students were also given an achievement test to determine the effects of vocabulary instructional materials. The assessment indicated that students had shown improvement in comprehension and science literacy. This also helps the students to grasp, understand, and communicate appropriate science concepts and the integration of imagery makes learning science fun. In this research, descriptive qualitative methods and observation interviews were used to describe the effects of using vocabulary instructional materials in improving the science vocabulary of grade four learners. The students’ perceptions were studied, analyzed, and interpreted qualitatively.

Keywords: instruction, learning, science, vocabulary

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Authors: Jwana Khateeb, Lamar Bawazeer, Hayat Sharbatly, Mozoun Alghamdi

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This research paper explores the idea of learning new languages through an innovative-mobile based learning technology. Throughout this paper we will discuss and examine a mobile-based application called Duolingo. Duolingo is a college standard application for learning foreign languages such as Spanish and English. It is a smart application where it uses smart adaptive technologies to advance the level of their students at each period of time by offering new tasks. Furthermore, we will discuss the history of the application and the methodology used within it. We have conducted a study in which we surveyed ten people about their experience using Duolingo. The results are examined and analyzed in which it indicates the effectiveness on Duolingo students who are seeking to learn new languages. Thus, the research paper will furthermore discuss the diverse methods and approaches in learning new languages through this mobile-based application.

Keywords: Duolingo, AI, personalized, customized

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Authors: Mi̇hri̇ban Müge Aras

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The present study aims to investigate the learner autonomy usage of prep school students. This research focuses on the prep school students' autonomy habits according to their self-regulated studies, age and duration of learning English. The research also analyzes whether prep school students have strong autonomy to learn the English language or depend on teachers and English classes only. The participants of the study consisted of 32 prep school students. The "Likert- type of questionnaire " was adopted by the researcher from the survey of Dede (2017). The scale was a one-dimensional 4-Likert type, which has the options of 1=never, 2= sometimes, 3=often, and 4=always. There are 19 questions in the questionnaire to understand the autonomy of students when they try to learn English. Descriptive statistics and OneANOVA were used to analyze the data. The results of the study showed that there is no significant correlation between their ages and their duration of learning English according to their autonomy studies for English.

Keywords: learner autonomy, self-regulated learning, independent learning, English language learning, prep school students

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Authors: Sofia Horjales, Florencia Palma

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Our society is currently experiencing a profound transformation, demanding a proactive response from governmental bodies and higher education institutions to empower the next generation as catalysts for change. Environmental sustainability is rooted in the critical need to maintain the equilibrium and integrity of natural ecosystems, ensuring the preservation of precious natural resources and biodiversity for the benefit of both present and future generations. It is an essential cornerstone of sustainable development, complementing social and economic sustainability. In this evolving landscape, active methodologies take a central role, aligning perfectly with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and emerging as a pivotal element of teacher education. The emphasis on active learning methods has been driven by the urgent need to nurture sustainability and instill social responsibility in our future leaders. The Universidad Tecnológica of Uruguay (UTEC) is a public, technologically-oriented institution established in 2012. UTEC is dedicated to decentralization, expanding access to higher education throughout Uruguay, and promoting inclusive social development. Operating through Regional Technological Institutes (ITRs) and associated centers spread across the country, UTEC faces the challenge of remote student populations. To address this, UTEC utilizes e-learning for equal opportunities, self-regulated learning, and digital skills development, enhancing communication among students, teachers, and peers through virtual classrooms. The Interdisciplinary Continuing Education Program is part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department of UTEC. The main goal is to strengthen innovation skills through a transversal and multidisciplinary approach. Within this Program, we have developed a Case of Study and Project-Based Learning Virtual Course designed for university students and open to the broader UTEC community. The primary aim of this course is to establish a strong foundation for comprehending and addressing environmental sustainability issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Upon completing the course, we expect students not only to understand the intricate interactions between social and ecosystem environments but also to utilize their knowledge and innovation skills to develop projects that offer enhancements or solutions to real-world challenges. Our course design centers on innovative learning experiences, rooted in active methodologies. We explore the intersection of these methods with sustainability and social responsibility in the education of university students. A paramount focus lies in gathering student feedback, empowering them to autonomously generate ideas with guidance from instructors, and even defining their own project topics. This approach underscores that when students are genuinely engaged in subjects of their choice, they not only acquire the necessary knowledge and skills but also develop essential attributes like effective communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. These qualities will benefit them throughout their lifelong learning journey. We are convinced that education serves as the conduit to merge knowledge and cultivate interdisciplinary collaboration, igniting awareness and instigating action for environmental sustainability. While systemic changes are undoubtedly essential for society and the economy, we are making significant progress by shaping perspectives and sparking small, everyday actions within the UTEC community. This approach empowers our students to become engaged global citizens, actively contributing to the creation of a more sustainable future.

Keywords: active learning, environmental education, project-based learning, soft skills development

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Authors: Bruce X. B. Yu, Yan Liu, Keith C. C. Chan

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We propose to record Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) of elderly people using a vision-based system so as to provide better assistive and personalization technologies. Current ADL-related research is based on data collected with help from non-elderly subjects in laboratory environments and the activities performed are predetermined for the sole purpose of data collection. To obtain more realistic datasets for the application, we recorded ADLs for the elderly with data collected from real-world environment involving real elderly subjects. Motivated by the need to collect data for more effective research related to elderly care, we chose to collect data in the room of an elderly person. Specifically, we installed Kinect, a vision-based sensor on the ceiling, to capture the activities that the elderly subject performs in the morning every day. Based on the data, we identified 12 morning activities that the elderly person performs daily. To recognize these activities, we created a HARELCARE framework to investigate into the effectiveness of existing Human Activity Recognition (HAR) algorithms and propose the use of a transfer learning algorithm for HAR. We compared the performance, in terms of accuracy, and training progress. Although the collected dataset is relatively small, the proposed algorithm has a good potential to be applied to all daily routine activities for healthcare purposes such as evidence-based diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: daily activity recognition, healthcare, IoT sensors, transfer learning

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Authors: Senol Dogan, Gunay Karli

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Identification of relevant publications based on a Medline query is time-consuming and error-prone. An all based process has the potential to solve this problem without any manual work. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate the ability of machine learning to identify relevant articles accurately. 5 different machine learning algorithms were tested using 23 predictors based on several metadata fields attached to publications. We find that the Boosted model is the best-performing algorithm and its overall accuracy is 96%. In addition, specificity and sensitivity of the algorithm is 97 and 93%, respectively. As a result of the work, we understood that we can apply the same procedure to understand cancer gene expression big data.

Keywords: prediction of publications, machine learning, algorithms, bariatric surgery, comparison of algorithms, boosted, tree, logistic regression, ANN model

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Authors: Yifan Fan, Xudong Luo, Pingping Lin

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Nowadays, dialogue systems increasingly become the way for humans to access many computer systems. So, humans can interact with computers in natural language. A dialogue system consists of three parts: understanding what humans say in natural language, managing dialogue, and generating responses in natural language. In this paper, we survey deep learning based methods for dialogue management, response generation and dialogue evaluation. Specifically, these methods are based on neural network, long short-term memory network, deep reinforcement learning, pre-training and generative adversarial network. We compare these methods and point out the further research directions.

Keywords: dialogue management, response generation, deep learning, evaluation

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Authors: Anuj Kumar Vaksha

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The research paper examines the trends and approaches of the international investment arbitral tribunals to the issues of environment and the exercise of states' regulatory power for the preservation of environment vis-à-vis the rights of the affected foreign investors. The paper analyses arbitral awards, decisions and orders in the leading cases of international investment arbitrations involving issues of environment and finds that there has been strong trend among the arbitral tribunals to balance the imperatives of the environmental regulation and the interest of the foreign investors. The arbitral tribunals have reflected deference to States' competence for regulation of environment to the extent they were genuine, relevant and in proportion to the legitimate objective sought to be achieved. The arbitral tribunals have at times been innovative and non-conservative in promoting the cause of environment through the mechanism of investor-state arbitration.

Keywords: International Investment Arbitration, environmental regulations, bilateral investment treaties, ICSID, NAFTA, amicus curiae, pollution havens hypothesis, environmental race to the bottom hypothesis

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Authors: Tinu Rose Francis, S. Wilkinson, Y. Chang-Richards, S. Mannakkara

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The objective of this paper is to assess the implementation of Build Back Better (BBB) propositions for disaster risk reduction in the natural environment with regard to greater Christchurch, New Zealand, after the 2010–2011 earthquakes in the region. A set of indicators was established to analyse the extent of recovery attained in Christchurch. Disaster recovery in the region is an ongoing process, which gives us the opportunity to rate the progress made so far. Disasters cause significant damage to the built, social and economic environments and also have severe consequences for the natural environment. Findings show that greater Christchurch has made important progress and implemented a comprehensive natural environment recovery plan. The plan addresses the restoration of biodiversity, natural resources, disaster waste management and amenity values in greater Christchurch. This paper also surveys the risk reduction actions being implemented with regard to the natural environment. The findings of this study will help governing bodies to identify and fill the gaps in their natural environment recovery plans.

Keywords: build back better (BBB), natural environment, planning, recovery, reconstruction, resilience, risk reduction

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Authors: Chutikarn Sriviboon, Witthaya Mekhum

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The purposes of this research were to analyze and evaluate successful factors in OTOP production process for the developing of learning center on OTOP production process based on Sufficiency Economic Philosophy for sustainable life quality. The research has been designed as a qualitative study to gather information from 30 OTOP producers in Bangkontee District, Samudsongkram Province. They were all interviewed on 3 main parts. Part 1 was about the production process including 1) production 2) product development 3) the community strength 4) marketing possibility and 5) product quality. Part 2 evaluated appropriate successful factors including 1) the analysis of the successful factors 2) evaluate the strategy based on Sufficiency Economic Philosophy and 3) the model of learning center on OTOP production process based on Sufficiency Economic Philosophy for sustainable life quality. The results showed that the production did not affect the environment with potential in continuing standard quality production. They used the raw materials in the country. On the aspect of product and community strength in the past 1 year, it was found that there was no appropriate packaging showing product identity according to global market standard. They needed the training on packaging especially for food and drink products. On the aspect of product quality and product specification, it was found that the products were certified by the local OTOP standard. There should be a responsible organization to help the uncertified producers pass the standard. However, there was a problem on food contamination which was hazardous to the consumers. The producers should cooperate with the government sector or educational institutes involving with food processing to reach FDA standard. The results from small group discussion showed that the community expected high education and better standard living. Some problems reported by the community included informal debt and drugs in the community. There were 8 steps in developing the model of learning center on OTOP production process based on Sufficiency Economic Philosophy for sustainable life quality.

Keywords: production process, OTOP, sufficiency economic philosophy, learning center

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Authors: Bello Ali

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The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in tertiary institutions by lecturers and students has become a necessity for the enhancement of quality teaching and learning. This study examined availability, accessibility and utilization of ICT in Teaching-Learning Islamic Studies in Colleges of Education, North-East, Nigeria. The study adopted multi-stage sampling technique, in which, five out of the eleven Colleges of Education (both Federal and State owned) were purposively selected for the study. Primary data was drawn from the respondents by the use of questionnaire, interviews and observations. The results of the study, generally, indicate that the availability and accessibility to ICT facilities in Colleges of Education in North-East, Nigeria, especially in teaching/learning delivery of Islamic studies were relatively inadequate and rare to lecturers and students. The study further reveals that the respondents’ level of utilization of ICT is low and only few computer packages and internet services were involved in the ICT utilization, which is yet to reach the real expected situation of the globalization and advancement in the application of ICT if compared to other parts of the world, as far as the teaching and learning of Islamic studies is concerned. Observations and conclusion were drawn from the findings and finally, recommendations on how to improve on ICT availability, accessibility and utilization in teaching/ learning were suggested.

Keywords: accessibility, availability, college of education, ICT, Islamic studies, learning, North-East, teaching, utilization

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Authors: Ratna Elizabeth

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Motivation is a very important factor since it contributes a lot to the students’ success in learning a language. Using authentic materials is believed as a mean of increasing the motivation. The materials define as authentic if they are not specifically written for the purpose of language teaching. They are genuine spoken or written language data which are drawn from many different sources. The intention of this study is to investigate the impact of using of authentic materials on students’ motivation. A single case study is conducted to the grade 9 students who learn Indonesian Language as a Foreign Language (ILFL) at an international school in Jakarta, Indonesia. Questionnaires are also distributed to the students to know their perceptions on the using of authentic materials. The results show that the using of authentic materials has increased the students’ motivation in learning the language.

Keywords: authentic materials, ILFL, language learning, motivation

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Authors: Jiraporn Adchariyaprasit

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The aesthetics of language in Thai poetry are emerged from the combination of sounds and meanings. The appreciation of such beauty can be achieved by means of education, acquisition of knowledge, and training. This research aims to study the learning process of aesthetics of language in Thai poetry for high school teachers in Bangkok and nearby provinces. There are 10 samples selected by purposive sampling for in-depth interviews. According to the research, there are four patterns in the learning process of aesthetics of language in Thai poetry which are 1) the study of characteristics and patterns of poetry, 2) the training of poetic reading, 3) the study of social and cultural contexts of poetry’s creation, and 4) the study of other sciences related to poetry such as linguistics, traditional dance, and so on.

Keywords: aesthetics, poetry, Thai poetry, poetry learning

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Authors: Ezil Sam Leni, Shalen S.

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Transport service monitoring and upkeep are essential components of smart city initiatives. The main risks to the relevant departments and authorities are the ever-increasing vehicular traffic and the conditions of the roads. In India, the economy is greatly impacted by the road transport sector. In 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Transport, Government of India, produced a report with statistical data on traffic accidents. The data included the number of fatalities, injuries, and other pertinent criteria. This study proposes a distributed infrastructure for the monitoring, detection, and reporting of potholes to the appropriate authorities. In a distributed environment, the nodes are the edge devices, and local edge servers, and global servers. The edge devices receive the initial model to be employed from the global server. The YOLOv8 model for pothole detection is used in the edge devices. The edge devices run the pothole detection model, gather the pothole images on their path, and send the updates to the nearby edge server. The local edge server selects the clients for its aggregation process, aggregates the model updates and sends the updates to the global server. The global server collects the updates from the local edge servers, performs aggregation and derives the updated model. The updated model has the information about the potholes received from the local edge servers and notifies the updates to the local edge servers and concerned authorities for monitoring and maintenance of road conditions. The entire process is implemented in FedCV distributed environment with the implementation using the client-server model and aggregation entities. After choosing the clients for its aggregation process, the local edge server gathers the model updates and transmits them to the global server. After gathering the updates from the regional edge servers, the global server aggregates them and creates the updated model. Performance indicators and the experimentation environment are assessed, discussed, and presented. Accelerometer data may be taken into consideration for improved performance in the future development of this study, in addition to the images captured from the transportation routes.

Keywords: federated Learning, pothole detection, distributed framework, federated averaging

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Authors: Yan Ma

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Parents in China now are of great enthusiasm to outsource extracurricular lessons and activities to ensure their children’s English learning. This study draws on one year of ethnographic observations and interviews with parents and children in 6 families in Shaoxing, a small city in East China, to explore how parents in different social classes differ in their ideology and investment practice towards their children’s English education. Through comparative analysis, the study reveals though all the families acknowledge the importance of English and there are great similarities among families in the same social class, differences are distinct among those in different social classes with regard to how they perceived the importance and what measures they take. The results also reflect China’s sociocultural and socioeconomic factors that underlined the heated wave of English learning as well as the social, cultural and economic conditions of different families that exert a decisive influence on their children’s learning experience.

Keywords: family background, extracurricular English learning, language ideologies, language management

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Authors: Deependra Prasad Sarraf, Gajendra Prasad Rauniar, Robin Maskey, Rajiv Maharjan, Ashish Shrestha, Ramayan Prasad Kushwaha

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Objectives: To assess the perception of faculties towards online teaching-learning activities conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify barriers and facilitators to conducting online teaching-learning activities in our context. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among faculties at B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences using a 26-item semi-structured questionnaire. A Google Form was prepared, and its link was sent to the faculties via email. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and findings were presented as tables and graphs. Results: Out of 158 faculties, the majority were male (66.46%), medical faculties (85.44%), and assistant professors (46.84%). Only 16 (10.13%) faculties had received formal training regarding preparing and/or delivering online teaching learning activities. Out of 158, 133 (84.18%) faculties faced technical and internet issues. The most common advantage and disadvantage of online teaching learning activities perceived by the faculties were ‘not limited to time or place’ (94.30%) and ‘lack of interaction with the students’ (82.28%), respectively. Majority (94.3%) of them had a positive perception towards online teaching-learning activities conducted during COVID-19 pandemic. Slow internet connection (91.77%) and frequent electricity interruption (82.91%) were the most common perceived barriers to online teaching-learning. Conclusions: Most of the faculties had a positive perception towards online teaching-learning activities. Academic leaders and stakeholders should provide uninterrupted internet and electricity connectivity, training on online teaching-learning platform, and timely technical support.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, faculties, medical education, perception

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Authors: Amal S. Al-Badi, Ali H. Al-Badi

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Many organizations are opting to adopt Open Source Software (OSS) as it is the current trend to rely on each other rather than on companies (Software vendors). It is a clear shift from organizations to individuals, the concept being to rely on collective participation rather than companies/vendors. The main objectives of this research are 1) to identify the current level of OSS usage in Sultan Qaboos University; 2) to identify the potential benefits of using OSS in educational institutes; 3) to identify the OSS applications that are most likely to be used within an educational institute; 4) to identify the existing and potential barriers to the successful adoption of OSS in education. To achieve these objectives a two-stage research method was conducted. First a rigorous literature review of previously published material was performed (interpretive/descriptive approach), and then a set of interviews were conducted with the IT professionals at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman in order to explore the extent and nature of their usage of OSS.

Keywords: open source software, social software, e-learning 2.0, Web 2.0, connectivism, personal learning environment (PLE), OpenCourseWare

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Authors: Kofi Nkonkonya Mpuangnan, Samantha Govender, Hlengiwe Romualda Mhlongo

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Educational leaders are skilled architects crafting a vibrant environment where growth, creativity, and adaptability can flourish within schools. Their journey is one of transformation, urging them to explore administrative strategies that align seamlessly with evolving educational models and cater to the specific needs of students, educators, and stakeholders. Through this committed effort to innovate, they seek to enhance the effectiveness and influence of educational systems, paving the way for a more inclusive and forward-thinking educational environment. In this context, the authors explored the concept of transforming educational leadership with administrative strategies in alignment with the following research objectives. To find the strategies that can be adopted by transformation leaders to promote effective administrative practices in an educational setting and to explore the roles of educational leaders in promoting collaboration in education. To find answers to these questions, a systematic literature review underpinned by the transformational leadership model was adopted. Therefore, concepts integrated from a variety of outlets, including academic journals, conference proceedings, and reports found within SCOPUS, WoS, and IBSS databases. A search was aided using specific themes like innovative administrative practices, the roles of educational leaders, and interdisciplinary approaches to administrative practices. The process of conducting the search adhered to the five-step framework, which was subjected to inclusion and exclusion of studies. It was found that transformational leadership, agile methodologies, employee wellbeing, seminars and workshops could foster a culture of innovation and creativity among teachers and staff to transform administrative practices in education settings. It was recommended that professional development programs be organized periodically for educational leaders in educational institutions to help them revitalize their knowledge and skills in educational administration.

Keywords: educational leadership, innovative strategies, administrative practices, professional development, stakeholder engaement, student outcome

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Authors: Vera G. Dianova, Lori P. Montross, Charles M. Burke

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In the digital age, the widespread and frequently excessive use of mobile phones amongst university students is recognized as a significant distractor which interferes with their ability to enter a deep state of concentration during studies and diminishes their prospects of experiencing the enjoyable and instrumental state of flow, as defined and described by psychologist M. Csikszentmihalyi. This study has targeted 50 university students with the aim of teaching them to cultivate their ability to engage in deep work and to attain the state of flow, fostering more effective and enjoyable learning experiences. Prior to the start of the intervention, all participating students completed a comprehensive survey based on a variety of validated scales assessing their inclination toward lifelong learning, frequency of flow experiences during study, frustration tolerance, sense of agency, as well as their love of learning and daily time devoted to non-academic mobile phone activities. Several days after this initial assessment, students received a 90-minute lecture on the principles of flow and deep work, accompanied by a critical discourse on the detrimental effects of excessive mobile phone usage. They were encouraged to practice deep work and strive for frequent flow states throughout the semester. Subsequently, students submitted weekly surveys, including the 10-item CORE Dispositional Flow Scale, a 3-item agency scale and furthermore disclosed their average daily hours spent on non-academic mobile phone usage. As a final step, at the end of the semester students engaged in reflective report writing, sharing their experiences and evaluating the intervention's effectiveness. They considered alterations in their love of learning, reflected on the implications of their mobile phone usage, contemplated improvements in their tolerance for boredom and perseverance in complex tasks, and pondered the concept of lifelong learning. Additionally, students assessed whether they actively took steps towards managing their recreational phone usage and towards improving their commitment to becoming lifelong learners. Employing a mixed-methods approach our study offers insights into the dynamics of concentration, flow, mobile phone usage and attitudes towards learning among undergraduate and graduate university students. The findings of this study aim to promote profound contemplation, on the part of both students and instructors, on the rapidly evolving digital-age higher education environment. In an era defined by digital and AI advancements, the ability to concentrate, to experience the state of flow, and to love learning has never been more crucial. This study underscores the significance of addressing mobile phone distractions and providing strategies for cultivating deep concentration. The insights gained can guide educators in shaping effective learning strategies for the digital age. By nurturing a love for learning and encouraging lifelong learning, educational institutions can better prepare students for a rapidly changing labor market, where adaptability and continuous learning are paramount for success in a dynamic career landscape.

Keywords: deep work, flow, higher education, lifelong learning, love of learning

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Authors: Khumbuzile M. Ngcobo, Seraphin D. Eyono Obono

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Science and technology has a major impact on many societal domains such as communication, medicine, food, transportation, etc. However, this dominance of modern technology can have a negative unintended impact on indigenous systems, and in particular on indigenous foods. This problem serves as a motivation to this study whose aim is to examine the perceptions of learners on the usefulness of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT's) for learning about indigenous foods. This aim will be subdivided into two types of research objectives. The design and identification of theories and models will be achieved using literature content analysis. The objective on the empirical testing of such theories and models will be achieved through the survey of Hospitality studies learners from different schools in the iLembe and Umgungundlovu Districts of the South African Kwazulu-Natal province. SPSS is used to quantitatively analyse the data collected by the questionnaire of this survey using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations after the assessment of the validity and the reliability of the data. The main hypothesis behind this study is that there is a connection between the demographics of learners, their perceptions on the usefulness of ICTs for learning about indigenous foods and the following personality an e-learning related theories constructs: computer self-efficacy, trust in ICT systems, and conscientiousness; as suggested by existing studies on learning theories. This hypothesis was fully confirmed by the survey conducted by this study except for the demographic factors where gender and age were not found to be determinant factors of learners’ perceptions on the usefulness of ICT's for learning about indigenous foods.

Keywords: e-learning, indigenous foods, information and communication technologies, learning theories, personality

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Authors: Isabelle Lorge, Napoleon Katsos

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BACKGROUND: Children growing up in a multilingual environment face challenges related to the need to monitor the speaker’s linguistic abilities, more frequent communication failures, and having to acquire a large number of words in a limited amount of time compared to monolinguals. As a result, bilingual learners may develop different word learning strategies, rely more on some strategies than others, and engage cognitive resources such as theory of mind and attention skills in different ways. HYPOTHESIS: The goal of our study is to investigate whether multilingual exposure leads to improvements in the ability to use pragmatic inference for word learning, i.e., to use speaker cues to derive their referring intentions, often by overcoming lower level salience effects. The speaker cues we identified as relevant are (a) use of a modifier with or without stress (‘the WET dax’ prompting the choice of the referent which has a dry counterpart), (b) referent extension (‘this is a kitten with a fep’ prompting the choice of the unique rather than shared object), (c) referent novelty (choosing novel action rather than novel object which has been manipulated already), (d) teacher versus random sampling (assuming the choice of specific examples for a novel word to be relevant to the extension of that new category), and finally (e) emotional affect (‘look at the figoo’ uttered in a sad or happy voice) . METHOD: To this end, we implemented on a touchscreen computer a task corresponding to each of the cues above, where the child had to pick the referent of a novel word. These word learning tasks (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) were adapted from previous word learning studies. 113 children have been tested (54 reception and 59 year 1, ranging from 4 to 6 years old) in a London primary school. Bilingual or monolingual status and other relevant information (age of onset, proficiency, literacy for bilinguals) is ascertained through language questionnaires from parents (34 out of 113 received to date). While we do not yet have the data that will allow us to test for effect of bilingualism, we can already see that performances are far from approaching ceiling in any of the tasks. In some cases the children’s performances radically differ from adults’ in a qualitative way, which means that there is scope for quantitative and qualitative effects to arise between language groups. The findings should contribute to explain the puzzling speed and efficiency that bilinguals demonstrate in acquiring competence in two languages.

Keywords: bilingualism, pragmatics, word learning, attention

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Authors: Brittany Joi B. Kirsch

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Textbooks carry a crucial role in imparting ideologies that stimulate inclusivity and social diversity. In the Philippines, a law on inclusive education (IE) for differently-abled learners has recently been signed in order to ensure their rights to quality and IE are protected and upheld (Republic Act No. 11650, 2022). With the presence of ableism in textbooks, the promotion of IE may be challenged. A considerable amount of research has been done on disability representation and ableism in foreign countries; however, none, to the extent of the researcher’s knowledge, has been conducted on ableist ideologies in primary education English language textbooks in the Philippines. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the negotiation of ableist ideologies in primary education English language textbooks in the Philippines. Utilizing Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the framework, six prescribed primary education English language textbooks from different grade levels were analyzed to examine instances of ableism in the texts. To further support the analysis of the study, supplemental data were gathered from the accounts of six public elementary school English language teachers. Findings reveal that the textbooks contain ableist ideologies with a limited representation of differently-abled people; by disclosing them as (1) invisible, (2) equipped with negative abilities, and (3) plagued with delicate health. By identifying ableist ideologies in textbooks, educational institutions and publishers may benefit in assessing and reforming instructional materials to resolve the presence of such ideologies, thereby abiding by the country’s law on IE and strengthening its overall implementation.

Keywords: textbooks, ideologies, inclusive education, critical discourse analysis, ableism

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Authors: Christopher Thornton, Niina Kolehmainen, Kianoush Nazarpour

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Background: Accelerometers are widely used to measure physical activity behavior, including in children. The traditional method for processing acceleration data uses cut points, relying on calibration studies that relate the quantity of acceleration to energy expenditure. As these relationships do not generalise across diverse populations, they must be parametrised for each subpopulation, including different age groups, which is costly and makes studies across diverse populations difficult. A data-driven approach that allows physical activity intensity states to emerge from the data under study without relying on parameters derived from external populations offers a new perspective on this problem and potentially improved results. We evaluated the data-driven approach in a diverse population with a range of rapidly evolving physical and mental capabilities, namely very young children (9-38 months old), where this new approach may be particularly appropriate. Methods: We applied an unsupervised machine learning approach (a hidden semi-Markov model - HSMM) to segment and cluster the accelerometer data recorded from 275 children with a diverse range of physical and cognitive abilities. The HSMM was configured to identify a maximum of six physical activity intensity states and the output of the model was the time spent by each child in each of the states. For comparison, we also processed the accelerometer data using published cut points with available thresholds for the population. This provided us with time estimates for each child’s sedentary (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Data on the children’s physical and cognitive abilities were collected using the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI-CAT). Results: The HSMM identified two inactive states (INS, comparable to SED), two lightly active long duration states (LAS, comparable to LPA), and two short-duration high-intensity states (HIS, comparable to MVPA). Overall, the children spent on average 237/392 minutes per day in INS/SED, 211/129 minutes per day in LAS/LPA, and 178/168 minutes in HIS/MVPA. We found that INS overlapped with 53% of SED, LAS overlapped with 37% of LPA and HIS overlapped with 60% of MVPA. We also looked at the correlation between the time spent by a child in either HIS or MVPA and their physical and cognitive abilities. We found that HIS was more strongly correlated with physical mobility (R²HIS =0.5, R²MVPA= 0.28), cognitive ability (R²HIS =0.31, R²MVPA= 0.15), and age (R²HIS =0.15, R²MVPA= 0.09), indicating increased sensitivity to key attributes associated with a child’s mobility. Conclusion: An unsupervised machine learning technique can segment and cluster accelerometer data according to the intensity of movement at a given time. It provides a potentially more sensitive, appropriate, and cost-effective approach to analysing physical activity behavior in diverse populations, compared to the current cut points approach. This, in turn, supports research that is more inclusive across diverse populations.

Keywords: physical activity, machine learning, under 5s, disability, accelerometer

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Authors: Polina Pekker

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This work analyzes the role of lecturers in e-learning in Russia. It is based on qualitative research of lecturers who conduct courses on Russian national platforms of open education. The platform is based on edx software (provider of massive open online courses). The interviews with e-learning lecturers were conducted: from December 2015 till January 2016 and from April 2016 till May 2016. The results of interviews (face-to-face, telephone, skype) show, firstly, the difference between the role of lecturers in e-learning and in traditional education and, secondly, that the competition between lecturers is high in Russia. The results of interviews in Russia show that e-learning lecturer should have several special professional competences: the ability to keep attention of audiences without real contact, the ability to work on camera and competences related with e-learning course support (test, forum, communication on forum and etc.) It is concluded that lecturers need special course on acting and speech skills and on conducting and organizing of e-learning course in Russia. It is planned to conduct French study. When results from French research will be totally ready, they will be compared to Russian. As well French platform, France Universite Numerique, was launched earlier, in January 2014, so Russian lecturers should get best practice from the French colleagues.

Keywords: e-courses lecturer, e-learning, professional competences of lecturers, national Russian and French platforms of open education

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Authors: Paul Lam, Chi Him Chan, Alan Tse

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Language laboratories have been widely used in language learning, starting in the middle of the last century as one of the earliest forms of educational technology. They are designed to assist students’ language learning with technological innovations. Traditional language laboratories provide individual workstations that allow students to access multimedia language resources. In this type of facility, students can train their listening and speaking abilities, and teachers can also assess the performance of an individual student. Although such a setting promotes a student-centered pedagogy by encouraging students to work at their own pace and according to their own needs, it still favours a traditional, behaviourist language learning pedagogy which focuses on repetitive drilling. The change of pedagogies poses challenges to both the teachers and the facilities. The peer-learning pedagogy advocates that language learning should focus on the social aspect, which emphasizes the importance of everyday communication in language learning. The self-access, individual workstation language laboratories may not be able to provide the flexibility for interaction in the new pedagogies. Modern advancement in technology is another factor that drove our language laboratory renovation. In particular, mobile and wireless technology enabled the use of smaller and more flexible devices, making possible much clever use of space. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) renovated nine existing language laboratories to provide lighter and more advanced equipment, movable tables, and round desks. These facilities allow more flexibility and encourage students’ interaction. It is believed that the renovated language laboratories can serve different peer learning activities and thus support peer-learning pedagogies in language teaching and learning. A survey has been conducted to collect comments from the teachers who have used the renovated language laboratories and received forty-four response. The teachers’ comments reveal that they experienced different challenges in using the renovated language laboratories, and there is a need to provide guidance to teachers during the technological and pedagogical transition. For example, teachers need instruction on using the newly installed devices such as touch-monitor and visualizer. They also need advice on planning new teaching and learning activities. Nevertheless, teachers appreciated that the renovated language laboratories are flexible and provide more spaces for different learning activities.

Keywords: language laboratories, language learning, peer-learning, student interaction

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