Search results for: student-centered education

Authors: Saeed M. Al Qahtani, Alaa Eldin A. Ayoub

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The study aimed to develop a battery of measures to assessment gifted initiatives in Saudi Arabia. The battery consisted of 17 measures developed in light of Saudi Arabia's future vision objectives for gifted education. A battery was applied to 193 gifted students who benefit from gifted initiatives and programs, 42 teachers of gifted as well as, 40 experts of gifted. Samples were taken from three main regions: Riyadh, Sharqia, Gharbia in Saudi Arabia. The results indicated that battery measures have a reliability and stability index ranging from 0.6 to 0.87. Besides that, results showed that the educational environment lacks many basic components such as facilities, laboratories, and activities that may stimulate creativity and innovation. Furthermore, results showed that there is a weakness in private sector involvement in the construction of educational buildings, special centers for gifted people and the provision of certain facilities that support talented programs. The recommendations of the study indicate the need for the private sector participation in the provision of services and projects for the care of gifted students in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: battery of measures, gifted care initiatives, Saudi future vision, gifted student

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Authors: Avalloy McCarthy-Curvin

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For over fifty years there has been widespread dissatisfaction with the teaching of Mathematics in Jamaica. Studies, done in the Jamaican context highlight that teachers at the end of training do not have a deep understanding of the mathematics content they teach. Little research has been done in the Jamaican context that targets the advancement of contextual knowledge on the problem to ultimately provide a solution. The aim of the study is to identify what influences this outcome of teacher education in Jamaica so as to remedy the problem. This study formatively evaluated the curriculum documents, assessments and the delivery of the curriculum that are being used in teacher training institutions in Jamaica to determine their rigor -the extent to which written document, instruction, and the assessments focused on enabling pre-service teachers to develop deep understanding of mathematics and relevance- the extent to which the curriculum document, instruction, and the assessments are focus on developing the requisite knowledge for teaching mathematics. The findings show that neither the curriculum document, instruction nor assessments ensure rigor and enable pre-service teachers to develop the knowledge and skills they need to teach mathematics effectively.

Keywords: relevance, rigor, deep understanding, formative evaluation

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Authors: Daniel Etim Jacob, Samuel Onadeko, Edem A. Eniang, Imaobong Ufot Nelson

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This paper examined determinants of income diversification among households in support zones communities of national parks in Nigeria. This involved the use household data collected through questionnaires administered randomly among 1009 household heads in the study area. The data obtained were analyzed using probability and non-probability statistical analysis such as regression and analysis of variance to test for mean difference between parks. The result obtained indicates that majority of the household heads were male (92.57%0, between the age class of 21 – 40 years (44.90%), had non-formal education (38.16%), were farmers (65.21%), owned land (95.44%), with a household size of 1 – 5 (36.67%) and an annual income range of ₦401,000 - ₦600,000 (24.58%). Mean Simpson index of diversity showed a general low (0.375) level of income diversification among the households. Income, age, off-farm dependence, education, household size and occupation where significant (p<0.01) factors that affected households’ income diversification. The study recommends improvement in the existing infrastructures and social capital in the communities as avenues to improve the livelihood and ensure positive conservation behaviors in the study area.

Keywords: income diversification, protected area, livelihood, poverty, Nigeria

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Authors: Miriam Fahmy, Shalini Fernando

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Educational links between teaching hospitals and universities can provide visits with great impact for both sides. As a visitor, one is responsible for the content, respecting current practice while offering guidance from a completely different perspective. There is little documented guidance for establishing links with universities in developing countries and providing meaningful teaching and exchange programmes. An initial contact retrieved one response with regards to written curriculum. The otolaryngology department from a Swansea teaching hospital visited a university in the Gambia. A consultant and clinical fellow visited with medical students to deliver lectures, clinical skills and informal teaching such as bedside and small group teaching. Students who had participated in teaching provided by the visiting university were asked to give feedback. This information was collated and used to evaluate the impact, and to guide future visits, including thinking of establishing a curriculum tailored to the West Africa region. The students felt they gained the most from informal sessions such as bedside teaching and felt that more practical experience on real patients and pathology would be most beneficial to them. Given that internet is poor, they also suggested a video library for their reference. Many of them look forward to visiting Swansea and are interested in the differences in practice and technologies. The findings are limited to little previous literature and student feedback. Student feedback sparked further questions and careful contemplation. There is great scope for introducing a range of teaching resources but it is important to avoid assumptions and imposition of a western curriculum and education system, a larger sample is needed with input from lecturers and curriculum writers in leading universities. In conclusion, more literature and guidance needs to be established for future visitors contemplating an educational link.

Keywords: education, impact, West Africa, university links

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Authors: Barby Jennette A. Florano

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Dietary intake has been associated with the health and wellbeing of adults, and lifestyle related diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether nutrition knowledge, food label use, and food preference are associated with the dietary intake in a sample of San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan (SJDM) adults. A sample of 148 adults, with a mean age of 20 years, completed a validated questionnaire related to their demographic, dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, food label use and food preference. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and there was no association between dietary intake and nutrition knowledge. However, there were positive relationships between dietary intake and food label use (r=0.1276, p<0.10), and dietary intake and food preference (r=0.1070, p<0.10). SJDM adults who use food label and have extensive food preference had better diet quality. This finding magnifies the role of nutrition education as a potential tool in health campaigns to promote healthy eating patterns and reading food labels among students and adults. Results of this study can give information for the design of future nutrition education intervention studies to assess the efficacy of nutrition knowledge and food label use among a similar sample population.

Keywords: dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, food preference, food label use

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Authors: Nwachukwu M. A., Nwachukwu J. I., Anyanwu J., Emeka U., Okorondu J., Acholonu C.

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Actualization of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) conceived by the United Nations in 2015 is a global challenge that may not be feasible in sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2030, except universities play a committed role. This is because; there is a need to educate the people about the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development in the region to make the desired change. Here is a sensitization paper with a model of intervention and curricular planning to allow advancement in understanding and knowledge of SDGs. This Model Center for Sustainability Studies (MCSS) will enable partnerships with institutions in Africa and in advanced nations, thereby creating a global network for sustainability studies not found in sub-Saharan Africa. MCSS will train and certify public servants, government agencies, policymakers, entrepreneurs and personnel from organizations, and students on aspects of the SDGs and sustainability science. There is a need to add sustainability knowledge into environmental education and make environmental education a compulsory course in higher institutions and a secondary school certificate exam subject in sub-Saharan Africa. MCSS has 11 training modules that can be replicated anywhere in the world.

Keywords: sustainability, higher institutions, training, SDGs, collaboration, sub-Saharan Africa

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Authors: S. Dodd

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This presentation examines the gender gap in leadership positions at colleges and universities within the United States. Despite the fact that women now outnumber men in earning doctorate degrees, women continue to hold far fewer positions of educational leadership, and still, earn less money than men do at every level. Considering the lack of female representation in positions of leadership, there are clearly outside variables preventing women from attaining these positions, despite their educational attainment. Following this study, the American Council on Education (ACE) set a goal to achieve an equal percentage of females holding college presidency positions by the year 2030. This goal is particularly ambitious, especially when considering the gender disparity at all ranks in higher education. Men still hold nearly 70% of all full professorships at degree-granting institutions. Even when women are equally represented in numbers, men typically hold a higher rank and are more likely to be tenured. Across all four-year colleges and universities in the United States, men earn more money than women at every rank and in every discipline. There are over twice as many men than women represented on governing boards, who help formed and uphold campus policies. The fact that the low percentage of female presidents has remained static for many years deepens the challenge for the ACE. Although emphasizing the need to create greater opportunities for women in educational administration is admirable, it is difficult to simplify the social forces that create and uphold the status quo of male leadership. When aiming to ensure 'women' hold 50% of all college presidency positions, it is important to consider how the intersections of race, social class, and other factors also correlate with lower job status. This presentation explores how gendered notions of leadership begin in a child’s early years and are carried into future careers, and how these conceptualizations impact the creation and upholding of educational policies at every academic level. Current research that emphasizes the importance establishing a bottom-up approach to a gender equity infrastructure for children early in their educational careers will be discussed. A top-down approach starting with female college presidents is incomplete and insufficient if the mindsets of the youth who will one day be entering those institutions of higher education are not also taken into consideration. Although ACE has established this lofty goal for female college presidencies by the year 2030, a road map for this will ensue, has not yet been provided. The talent pool of women who are educated and experienced for such positions is vast, but acknowledging the social barriers existing for women in these positions will be crucial to making the changes necessary for these leadership opportunities to be long lasting and successful.

Keywords: equity, higher education, leadership, women

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Authors: Yusef Hedjazi, Saeedeh Nazari Nooghabi

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New information and communication technologies (ICT) as one of the main needs of Faculty members in the process of teaching and learning has used in Irans higher education system since 2000.The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching performance of Agricultural and Natural Resources Faculties at University of Tehran. The statistical population of the study consisted of all 250 faculties in Agriculture and Natural Resources Colleges and a questionnaire was used to collect data. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by computing of Cronbachs Alpha coefficient at greater than .72. The study showed a significant relationship between agricultural Faculty members teaching performance and competency in using ICT. The results of the regression analysis also explained 51.7% of the variance, teaching performance. The six independent variables that accounted for the explained variance were experience in using educational websites or software, use of educational multimedia (e.g. film and CD, etc), making a presentation using PowerPoint, familiarity with online education websites, using News group to discuss on educational subjects with colleagues and students, and using Electronic communication (messengers) to solve studentsproblems.

Keywords: information and communication technologies, agricultural and natural resources, faculties, teaching performance

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Authors: Kassahun Tilahun Dessie

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The purpose of this study was to explore the awareness of teachers and the attitude they have to the curriculum they implement as well as to assess the actual and desired magnitude of teachers' participation in curriculum development process. It also aimed at investigating the factors that affect teachers' level of conception and perception towards the new higher education curriculum. The study was carried out in Debre Birhan University. Teachers, course coordinators, team leaders and presidents were included in the study as research subjects. Teachers were proportionally selected from each department (of the six faculties) based on available sampling technique. Accordingly, a total of 103 teachers were chosen as a subject of the study. In order to collect first hand data from the teachers, a questionnaire with four parts was developed by the researcher. To this end, scales were designed for measuring the extent of teachers' awareness and attitude. Each of the scales encompasses 11 and 17 items respectively. An open ended questionnaire was also attached for the purpose of obtaining elaborated data on the issue. Information was also obtained from interviews with presidents, team leaders and course coordinators. The data obtained were analyzed qualitatively using descriptive statistical tools. The overall results of the analysis revealed that the awareness of teachers on the curriculum was low. The meager participation of teachers in the process of curriculum development and the deficiency of trainings on the concern were major factors. Teachers' perception towards the existence and implementation of the new curriculum was also inclined to the negative, though difficult to generalize. Lack of awareness, administrators poor approach and lack of facilitating appropriate incentives as well as absence of room for evaluating the curriculum etc plays big role in endangering teachers attitude while the up to datedness of the new curriculum, involvement of teachers in the curriculum development process, the wide ranging quality of the new curriculum etc laid a better ground to boost teachers attitude towards the curriculum. This may have implication to the university in that there is a need to facilitate workshops or awareness creation trainings, to have positive and cooperative administrators, and embracing committed teachers to implement the curriculum efficiently.

Keywords: conception, perception, curriculum, higher education, Ethiopia

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Authors: R. M. Chandler, A. J. Stringer

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In adults, short bursts of high-intensity exercise (intensities between 80-95% of maximum heart rates) increase cardiovascular and metabolic function without the time investment of traditional aerobic training. Similar improvements in various health indices are also becoming increasingly evident in children in countries other than the United States. In the United States, physical education programs have become shorter in length and fewer in frequency. With this in the background, it is imperative that health and physical educators delivered well-organized and focused fitness programs that can be tolerated across many different somatotypes. Perhaps the least effective lag-time in a US physical education (PE) class is the first 10 minutes, a time during which children warm up. Replacing a traditional PE warmup with a 10 min high-intensity excise protocol is a time-efficient method to impact health, leaving as much time for other PE material such as skill development, motor behavior development as possible. This supplemented 10 min high-intensity exercise increases cardiovascular function as well as induces favorable body composition changes in as little as six weeks with further enhancement throughout a semester of activity. The supplemental high-intensity exercise did not detract from the PE lesson outcomes.

Keywords: cardiovascular fitness, high intensity interval training, high intensity exercise, pediatric

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Authors: N. R. Ramkumar

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The foremost aim of physical education has been to inculcate a healthy mind in a healthy body. The aim of this study was to find out the differences in nutritional awareness among urban, semi urban and rural girls of South India. The investigator administered a nutritional awareness questionnaire consisting of 25 statements among 100 rural; 100 semi urban and 100 urban girls studying in different schools in South India. The filled up questionnaire were scored and the total scores for all the twenty five statements were considered as the nutritional awareness level of the subjects. The differences on nutritional awareness among urban, semi urban and rural girls were tested for statistical significance using ANOVA. In all cases 0.05 level was fixed to test the significance. The results proved that there were significant differences on nutritional awareness among urban, semi urban and rural girls (P<0.05). The paired mean comparisons proved that urban girls were having highest nutritional awareness (M: 86.86), followed by semi urban girls (M: 81.86) and then by rural girls (M: 79.48). The differences between urban and semi urban girls and urban and rural girls were significant and there was no significant differences between semi urban and rural girls. The findings of this study proved that rural girls were significantly having lesser nutritional awareness and hence the study recommends the strong need of nutritional education for rural girls in South India.

Keywords: nutrition, awareness, urban, semi urban, rural girls

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Authors: Noemia Bessa Vilela, Jose Caramelo Gomes

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All law student are familiarized, in the first years of their bachelor of laws with the concepts of “public goods” and “ private goods”; often, such legal concept does not exactly match such economic concept, and there are consequences are some sort of confusion being created. The list of goods that follow under each category is not exhaustive, nor are students given proper mechanisms to acknowledge that some legal fields can, on its own, be considered as a “public good”; this is the case of Competition. Legal authors consider that “competition law is used to promote public interest” and, as such, it is a “public good”; in economics theory, Competition is the first public good in a market economy, as the enabler of allocation efficiency. Competition law is the legal tool to support the proper functioning of the market economy and democracy itself. It is fact that Competition Law only applies to economic activities, still, competition is object of private litigation as an integral part of Public Law. Still, regardless of the importance of Competition Law in the economic activity and market regulation, most student complete their studies in law, join the Bar Associations and engage in their professional activities never having been given sufficient tools to deal with the increasing demands of a globalized world. The lack of knowledge of economics, market functioning and the mechanisms at their reach in order to ensure proper realization of their duties as lawyers/ attorneys-at-law would be tackled if Competition Law would be included as part of the curricula of Law Schools. Proper teaching of Competition Law would combine the foundations of Competition Law, doctrine, case solving and Case Law study. Students should to understand and apply the analytical model. Special emphasis should be given to EU Competition Law, namely the TFEU Articles 101 to 106. Damages Directive should also be part of the curriculum. Students must in the first place acquire and master the economic rationale as competition and the world of competition law are the cornerstone of sound and efficient market. The teaching of Competition Law in undergraduate programs in Law would contribute to fulfill the potential of the students who will deal with matters related to consumer protection, economic and commercial law issues both in private practice and as in-house lawyers for companies.

Keywords: higher education, competition law, legal education, law, market economy, industrial economics

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Authors: L. O'Sullivan, C. Murphy

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This study examined the impact, if any, of mobile technology on the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education for All. It focused specifically on teachers and their practice, in a school with large class sizes and limited teaching resources. Teachers in third grade in a large public school in Mozambique were provided with an iPad connected to a projector, powered by a mobile solar-panel. Teachers also participated in ten days of professional development workshops over thirteen months. Teacher discussions, micro-teaching sessions and classes in the school were video-recorded, and data was triangulated using surveys and additional documents including class plans, digital artifacts created by teachers, workshop notes and researcher field notes. The catalyst for teachers’ creativity development was to use the photographic capabilities of the iPad to capture the local context and make lessons relevant to the lived experience of the students. In the transition stage, teachers worked with lesson plans and support from the professional development workshops to make small incremental changes to their practice, which scaffolded their growing competence in the creative use of the technology as a tool for teaching and developing new teaching resources. Over the full period of the study, these small changes in practice resulted in a cultural shift in how teachers approached all lessons, even those in which they were not using the technology. They developed into working as a community of practice. The digital lessons created were re-used and further developed by other teachers, providing a relevant and valuable bank of content in a context lacking in books and other teaching resources. This study demonstrated that mobile technology proved to be a successful catalyst for impacting creative teaching practice in this context, and supports the Quality Education for All Sustainable Development Goal.

Keywords: mobile technology, creative teaching, sub-Saharan Africa, quality education for all

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Authors: Achirawatt Tungsombatsanti, Toansakul Santiboon, Kamon Ponkham

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Strategies of the STEM education was aimed to prepare of an interdisciplinary and applied approach for the instructional of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in an integrated students for enhancing engagement of their science skills to the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method in Borabu School with a sample consists of 80 students in 2 classes at the 12th grade level of their learning achievements on electromagnetic issue. Research administrations were to separate on two different instructional model groups, the 40-experimental group was designed with the STEM instructional experimenting preparation and induction in a 40-student class and the controlling group using the PBL was designed to students identify what they already know, what they need to know, and how and where to access new information that may lead to the resolution of the problem in other class. The learning environment perceptions were obtained using the 35-item Physics Laboratory Environment Inventory (PLEI). Students’ creating attitude skills’ sustainable development toward physics were assessed with the Test Of Physics-Related Attitude (TOPRA) The term scaling was applied to the attempts to measure the attitude objectively with the TOPRA was used to assess students’ perceptions of their science attitude toward physics. Comparisons between pretest and posttest techniques were assessed students’ learning achievements on each their outcomes from each instructional model, differently. The results of these findings revealed that the efficiency of the PLB and the STEM based on criteria indicate that are higher than the standard level of the 80/80. Statistically, significant of students’ learning achievements to their later outcomes on the controlling and experimental physics class groups with the PLB and the STEM instructional designs were differentiated between groups at the .05 level, evidently. Comparisons between the averages mean scores of students’ responses to their instructional activities in the STEM education method are higher than the average mean scores of the PLB model. Associations between students’ perceptions of their physics classes to their attitudes toward physics, the predictive efficiency R2 values indicate that 77%, and 83% of the variances in students’ attitudes for the PLEI and the TOPRA in physics environment classes were attributable to their perceptions of their physics PLB and the STEM instructional design classes, consequently. An important of these findings was contributed to student understanding of scientific concepts, attitudes, and skills as evidence with STEM instructional ought to higher responding than PBL educational teaching. Statistically significant between students’ learning achievements were differentiated of pre and post assessments which overall on two instructional models.

Keywords: learning instructional managements, problem-based learning, STEM education, method, enhancement, students learning achievements, science attitude, physics classes

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Authors: Emma Whewell, Lee Waters, Mark Wall

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This paper is a mixed methods investigation into the perceived barriers to attainment and progression. Initially entry level data was analysed to identify some of the key characteristics of the student cohort- for example entry route, age and ethnic background. Secondly, a phenomenological case study of the lived experiences of 15 level 5 sport and exercise students was conducted. It aimed to understand the complexities of success in higher education, far beyond entry qualifications, indices of deprivation and POLAR characteristics, to offer a first-hand account of student perceptions and interpretations of the barriers they face in progression, retention and completion on their programme. Using focus groups and interviews with students from a range of indices we offer a set of rich case studies exploring the interpretations of our students’ lived experiences and challenges. Findings demonstrate a complex set of circumstances that centre on managing workload, use of support services and aspirations of students that conflict with university priorities. Conclusions centre on the role of academic and pastoral support, assumptions about priorities of students and practical interventions to support achievement.

Keywords: access and participation, higher education, progression and retention, barriers

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Authors: Ladda Silanoi

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One of the main purposes in establishment of ASEAN Community is educational development. All countries in ASEAN shall then prepare for plans and strategies for country development. Therefore, Thailand set up the policy concerning educational management for all educational institutions to understand about ASEAN Community. However, some educational institutions lack of precision in determining the curriculums of ASEAN Community, especially schools in rural areas, for example, schools along the common border with Laos, and Cambodia. One of the effective methods to promote the precision in ASEAN Community is to design additional learning courses. The important process of additional learning courses design is to provide learning outcomes of ASEAN Community for course syllabus determination. Therefore, the researcher is interested in developing teachers in the schools of common border with Laos, and Cambodia to provide learning outcomes and learning process. This research has the objective of developing the learning outcomes and learning process management of basic education along Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia Common Border for the ASEAN Community Preparation. Research methodology consists of 2 steps. Step 1: Delphi Technique was used to provide guidelines in development of learning outcomes and learning process. Step 2: Action Research procedures was employed to study the result of additional learning courses design. Result of the study: By using Delphi technique, consensus is expected to be achieved, from 50 experts in the study within 3 times of the survey. The last survey found that experts’ opinions were compatible on every item (inter-quartile range = 0) leading to the arrangement of training courses in step of Action Research. The result from the workshop found that teachers in schools of Srisaket and Bueng Kan provinces could be able to provide learning outcomes of all courses.

Keywords: learning outcome and learning process, basic education, ASEAN Community preparation, Thailand Laos and Cambodia common border

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Authors: Yvonne Kainuku, Wendy Trimmer

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A critical element in closing the gaps in health disparities is the presence of a culturally appropriate health workforce. This study presents one of the findings from a qualitative study that explored the lived experiences of Cook Islands peoples during their three-year nursing training within a Bachelor of Nursing Pacific (BNP) programme in Aotearoa NZ. The study utilized both qualitative and context-specific methods; these included the Tivaevae Research Model and Qualitative Inquiry. The aim of the research was to collect stories from registered nurses about their experiences of culturally responsive pedagogy and their connection to content relating to Pacific world views and Pacific ways of knowing while they were students. Further to this, the researcher sought to recognize factors that supported the participant's successful completion of becoming a registered nurse. This study will introduce the theme of Tiaki moemoeā (dream keeper), identifying essential elements that engage learners along their journey. The various features that define the theme Tiaki moemoeā (dream keeper) have the potential to contribute to transformational change in nursing education training in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Keywords: education, nursing, pacific, pedagogy

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Authors: Münevver Başman, Ezel Tavşancıl

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Making the right decisions about students depends on teachers’ use of the assessment and evaluation techniques effectively. In order to do that, teachers should have positive attitudes and adequate self-efficacy perception towards assessment and evaluation. The purpose of this study is to investigate relationship between self-efficacy perception and the attitudes of prospective teachers towards assessment and evaluation and what kind of differences these issues have in terms of a variety of demographic variables. The study group consisted of 277 prospective teachers who have been studying in different departments of Marmara University, Faculty of Education. In this study, ‘Personal Information Form’, ‘A Perceptual Scale for Measurement and Evaluation of Prospective Teachers Self-Efficacy in Education’ and ‘Attitudes toward Educational Measurement Inventory’ are applied. As a result, positive correlation was found between self-efficacy perceptions and the attitudes of prospective teachers towards assessment and evaluation. Considering different departments, there is a significant difference between the mean score of attitudes of prospective teachers and between the mean score of self-efficacy perceptions of them. However, considering variables of attending statistics class and the class types at the graduated high school, there is no significant difference between the mean score of attitudes of prospective teachers and between the mean score of self-efficacy perceptions of them.

Keywords: attitude, perception, prospective teacher, self-efficacy

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Authors: Ibrahim Azem

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The purpose of the present study was to investigate the attitudes of regular classroom teachers, special education teachers, principals, social workers, parents of students without disabilities and parents of students with disabilities, in Sultanate Oman towards inclusion of students with disabilities in the general school setting. Participants’ Four hundred fifty schools were selected randomly from all public schools in Sultanate Oman. From these schools 2,025 individuals volunteered to participate in this study. The Attitude Scale toward inclusion was used to measure adults’ attitudes toward teaching students with disabilities with their peers in an inclusive classroom. The scale was developed based on the conceptualization of attitude as a tri component evaluation consisting of cognitive, affective, and behavioral intention. To investigate the validity and the reliability of the scale, it shows that it has valid appropriate connotations and reliability. The results of the study showed that the adult’s role had significant effect (p < .05) on the participants’ attitudes toward inclusion. Moreover, the results indicated significant (p < .05) gender differences in the attitudes toward inclusion, males scored significantly (p < .05) higher than females. The result of the study also showed that the special education teachers had positives attitudes more than the other type of stakeholders.

Keywords: inclusion, students with disabilities, Oman, stakeholders

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Authors: Afnan Khoja, Ittisak Subrungruang, Kritchaya Ritruechai, Linda Jones, David Wall

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Background: Some characteristics might be stated as an objective of the curriculum and some might be hidden. The hidden curriculum is the unwritten and unintended lessons and perspectives that students absorb in school. Though, the hidden characteristics are expected that tutors hope students might have in order to become medical educators. We suspected our faculty hoped we would develop skills, know and develop beyond the written outcomes. Our research question aimed to explore the hidden curriculum; as part of our learning; we had to design and report findings. Summary of Work: We undertook semi-structured interviews with a sample of the centre for medical education faculty at Dundee. Participants answered the question , of what are the hidden characteristics that they hope Dundee MMed graduates might have after graduation. Thematic analysis was carried out on the interview scripts. Summary of Results: A thematic analysis was carried out on the interview transcripts. Three main themes were identified from all respondents' comments. These were lifelong learners, being flexible and problem solvers. In addition individual respondents also described sense of humour, collaboration, humility, role model, inquisitiveness, optimism, and ability to express oneself clearly. Discussion: Tutors put great value on three behaviours lifelong learner, flexible, and problem solver, which are part of professional characteristics in leadership. Therefore, leadership characteristics is incorporated as the outcomes of hidden characteristics that tutors would like to see. Conclusion: Tutors in the Master's program of medical education at the University of Dundee hope that medical education students should present the three main hidden characteristics, which are lifelong learner, flexible, and problem solver after graduation. Take-home Messages: These hidden characteristics are considered as informal unless a change has been made to the formal curriculum. Therefore, to reach the tutors’ expectations, further studies might be held to make this personal characteristics transformation more accessible.

Keywords: characteristics, hidden curriculum, transformation, informal

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Authors: Charles Okon Effiong

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This paper is a sociolinguistic analysis of the semantics of students’ slang in Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Afaha Nsit, Nigeria. The descriptive survey design was deployed for the study and data were collected from one hundred and fifty (150) students through a series of instruments such as questionnaire, interviews and observations. The questionnaire was administered randomly to levels 200, 300 and Extra Time students only. Interviews and observations were also conducted on the students. These categories of students were selected because they had spent a longer time in the college and were thought to be familiar with campus slang. A total of ninety two (92) slang expressions were taken from the questionnaire and out of this number, twenty six (26) slang expressions were peculiar to the college while sixty six (66) were those slang terms also used in the society. The study proves the notion that every speaker handles a variety of registers and tends to choose among them in accordance with the social situation in which he finds himself. The study shows campus slang as a sociolect which facilitates communication among the students in a different sense. The slang expressions are fully intelligible to the students and this unique and elaborate lexicon serves to achieve group identity among other social implications.

Keywords: communication, slang, social relationship, sociolinguistics

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Authors: Baris Sezer

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A great number of projects have been implemented by Turkey in order to integrate technologies into education. The FATİH Project is intended to integrate technology into all levels of education in Turkey. As part of the FATİH Project that is aimed to complete in 2016, it is intended to initially deliver a tablet PC to every student and teacher. We aimed to detect grade 9 students’ acceptance perception level of tablet PCs during the 2014 – 2015 school year in this study where quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used in combination. The study group consisted of 228 grade 9 students of high schools in Istanbul, Ankara, Zonguldak and Bursa in Turkey. Study data was obtained through the “Tablet PC Acceptance Scale” and structured interview forms. Given the results obtained from the study, the mean overall score was 70.08 (3.72 out of 5), which was derived from all the dimensions of the acceptance perception level of tablet PCs in the students’ view. Findings of the study indicate that mean scores for students’ acceptance perception level of tablet PCs did not differ by their gender and their level of use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Focus group interviews with students suggest that students did not effectively and actively use the tablet PCs; instead they used the interactive board during classes.

Keywords: acceptance of technology, student’s view, FATIH project, tablet PCs

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Authors: Adi Gielgun-Katz, Alina S. Rusu

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In the last two decades, education systems worldwide have integrated new pedagogical methods and strategies in lesson plans, such as innovative technologies, social-emotional learning (SEL), gamification, mixed learning, multiple literacies, and many others. Visual language, such as photographs, is known to transcend cultures and languages, and it is commonly used by youth to express positions and affective states in social networks. Therefore, visual language needs more educational attention as a linguistic and communicative component that can create connectedness among the students and their teachers. Nowadays, when SEL is gaining more and more space and meaning in the area of academic improvement in relation to social well-being, and taking and sharing pictures is part of the everyday life of the majority of people, it becomes natural to add the visual language to SEL approach as a reinforcement strategy for connecting education to the contemporary culture and language of the youth. This article presents a program conducted in a high school class in Israel, which combines the five SEL with photography techniques, i.e., Social-Emotional Learning Visual Empowerments (SELVEs) program (experimental group). Another class of students from the same institution represents the control group, which is participating in the SEL program without the photography component. The SEL component of the programs addresses skills such as: troubleshooting, uncertainty, personal strengths and collaboration, accepting others, control of impulses, communication, self-perception, and conflict resolution. The aim of the study is to examine the effects of programs on the level of the five SEL aspects in the two groups of high school students: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision Making, and Relationship Skills. The study presents a quantitative assessment of the SEL programs’ impact on the students. The main hypothesis is that the students’ questionnaires' analysis will reveal a better understanding and improvement of the five aspects of the SEL in the group of students involved in the photography-enhanced SEL program.

Keywords: social-emotional learning, photography, education program, adolescents

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Authors: Ezat Vahidian, Babak Eshrati

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Introduction: Elder abuse, a very complex issue with diverse definitions and names, has been very slow to capture the public eye and public policy since it is manifested at many levels. It requires the involvement of different types of professionals. While elder abuse is not a new phenomenon, the speed of population ageing world-wide is likely to lead to an increase in its incidence and prevalence. Elder abuse has devastating consequences for older persons such as poor quality of life, psychological distress, and loss of property and security. It is also associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Elder abuse is a problem that manifests itself in both rich and poor countries and at all levels of society. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of elder abuse and effects of social factor on it in Markazi Province. Materials and methods: The society of the study was all of the elders in Markazi Province that were available by geographical address in the table of rural and urban household societies. The study was cross sectional and multi phases in sampling the first one was classification according rural and urban area and the second one was cluster sampling with equal cluster. Estimation of samples were 472 persons and increased by design effect to 1110 persons. Collection data was done by questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS and chi 2 exam. Results: This study showed 70 persons were abused (42/8% male and 57/2% female) mean of ages was 74/7 years. 64% were marred and 31% were widows. There were not any significant meaningful association between elder abuse and area of living (pv=0.299),occupation (p.v=0.104), education (pv=0.358) and age (P.value=0.104) there were significant meaningful association between physical impairment (pv=0.08), and movement impairment (P.value=0.008). Conclusion: Results verify that maltreatment occurred in the aged persons. Analysis of data indicated that elder abuse exist in every socioeconomic group with any context of education in urban area and rural area and in men and women. Prevalence of elder abuse was 6.3% (70 persons) that verify the data of developed countries with limited sample.

Keywords: elder abuse, education, occupation, area of living

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Authors: Gabriela Teodorescu, Ioana Daniela Dulama

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In an ever-changing society, the education system needs to constantly evolve to meet market demands. During its 30 years of existence, Valahia University of Targoviste (VUT) tried to offer its students a series of teaching-learning schemes that would prepare them for a remarkable career. In VUT, the achievement of performance through innovation can be analyzed by reference to several key indicators (i.e., university climate, university resources, and innovative methods applied to classes), but it is possible to differentiate between activities in the classic format: participate to courses; interactive seminars and tutorials; laboratories, workshops, project-based learning; entrepreneurial activities, through simulated enterprises; mentoring activities. Thus, VUT has implemented over time a series of schemes and projects based on innovation and entrepreneurship, and in this paper, some of them will be briefly presented. All these schemes were implemented by facilitating an effective dialog with students and the opportunity to listen to their views at all levels of the University and in all fields of study, as well as by developing a partnership with students to set out priority areas. VUT demonstrates innovation and entrepreneurial capacity through its new activities for higher education, which will attract more partnerships and projects dedicated to students.

Keywords: Romania, project-based learning, entrepreneurial activities, simulated enterprises

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Authors: Peng Yew Wong

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House prices in the Australian capital cities were at record levels subsequent to Global Financial Crisis (GFC) 2008 and many believed that foreign investors, especially the Chinese investors, were the main reason for the Australian capital cities’ house prices escalation. This research conducted an Australian cross border semi-structured interviews in Shanghai, China to uncover historical evidence and emerging trend supporting the existence of a significant relationship between overseas investors and residential housing markets performance in Australia subsequent to the GFC 2008. Some unique investment strategies of private investors from China which emphasised on non-capitalist factors such as early education were identified, alongside with some insights on the significant China government policies that have incentivised the cross border investments from China. It is believed that this understanding will assist policy makers to effectively manage the overheated Australian residential property market without compromising the steady flow of FREI.

Keywords: Australian housing market, residential property, foreign real estate investment, education, China investor

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Authors: Londeka Ngubane

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The use of corporal punishment is not a new phenomenon in the South African education system as it was, for a long time, recognised as a fitting form of punishment for ill-disciplined and disobedient children. The growing recognition that corporal punishment is an act of violence against children has resulted in the abolishment of this form of punishment in society and particularly in schools. However, regardless of criminalising corporal punishment, it appears to be a disciplinary measure that is persistently used by some educators. Historically and currently, the intimate connection between corporal punishment and discipline has not merely been a convention of human thinking, as this practice is given recognition in various definitions in dictionaries. ‘To discipline’ is habitually stated to mean ‘to punish’. The notion of ‘disciplining children’ also comes from entrenched common conceptions about children and their relationship with adults. Corporal punishment has, for a long time, been associated with the rearing and education of children, and this practice thus pervades schooling across nations. In many societies, punishment is a term that is closely linked with the self-perception of teachers who feel that they must be ‘in control’ and have ‘the upper hand’ in order to be respected. This impression of control is evident in the widespread conception of education which is to ‘socialize’ children in ‘desirable ways’ of ‘sitting in a formal classroom’, ‘behaving’ in school, ‘following instructions’ from the teacher, talking only when asked to, and finishing tasks on time. It was against this backdrop that a comprehensive review of relevant literature was undertaken and that individual interviews were conducted with fifty learners from four schools (two junior secondary and two senior secondary schools) in a selected township area in KwaZulu-Natal Province. The main aim of the study was to explore and thus understand learners’ views on the administration of corporal punishment regardless of the fact that it was legally abolished. It was envisaged that the interviews with the learners would elicit rich data that would enhance the researcher’s insight into their perceptions of the persistent use of corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure in their schools. The study was thus premised on the assumption, which had been strengthened by anecdotal and media evidence, that corporal punishment was still administered in some schools in South Africa and in schools in the study area in particular.

Keywords: corporal punishment, ban, school learners, South Africa

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Authors: Sadiah Baharom, Che Nidzam Che Ahmad, Saipol Barin Ramli, Asmayati Yahaya, Sopia Md Yassin

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The early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Malaysia aspire to develop children who are intellectually, emotionally, physically and spiritually balanced. This aspiration can only materialise if the early childhood program developed comprehensive and is of high quality comparable to international standards. As such, there is a pressing need to assess the quality of the program in an all-encompassing manner. The overall research project aims at developing a comprehensive and integrated model of high-quality Malaysian ECCE. One of the major objectives of this project is to assess and evaluate the scope and quality of the existing ECCE programs in Malaysia. To this end, a specific aspect of this objective is to develop and validate an instrument to assess and evaluate the ECCE curriculum of the country. Thus this paper describes the development and validation of an instrument to explore the quality of early childhood care and education curriculum currently implemented in the country’s ECCE centres. The generation of the constructs and items were based on a set of criteria mapped against existing ECCE practice, document analyses, expert interviews and panel discussions. The items went through expert validation and were field tested on 597 ECCE teachers. The data obtained went through an exploratory factor analysis to validate the constructs of the instrument followed by reliability studies on internal consistency based on the Cronbach Alpha values. The final set of items for the ECCE curriculum instrument, earmarked for the main study, consists of four constructs namely philosophy and core values, curriculum content, curriculum review and unique features. Each construct consists of between 21 to 3 items with a total of 36 items in all. The reliability coefficients for each construct range from 0.65 to 0.961. These values are within the acceptable limits for a reliable instrument to be used in the main study.

Keywords: early childhood and care education, instrument development, reliability studies, validity studies

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Authors: Salwa Obeisat

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Obesity had become a global issue and a major public health concern, because of its impact on the public health. Obstetric and midwifery evidences reported that maternal obesity an important issue, because of its associated complications like obstructed labors, infections, and hemorrhage. People who are obese are often stigmatized and blamed for their weight. Health care providers are not immune to obesity-related prejudice, and the literature features several examples of their negative attitudes towards obese patients. In Jordan, few studies were conducted to investigate obesity prevalence rate and its associated factors. The purposes of this study were to assess the health care providers' attitudes toward overweight and obese women during the childbirth in the North of Jordan and to investigate the relationships between health care providers' socio-demographic characteristics and their attitudes. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was utilized. A convenient sample was consisted of 95 midwives, 30 nurses and 62 obstetricians, who were working in the labor rooms. A self-administered questionnaire consisted of three sections: demographical data, Arabic version of Fat Phobia Scale (FPS), and Arabic version of Nurses' Attitudes toward Obesity and Obese Patients Scale (NATOOPS). Results: The study findings revealed that the majority of Jordanian health care providers held negative attitudes toward overweight and obese women during childbirth. Midwives held less negative attitudes than did obstetricians and nurses. The majority of participants were perceived the overweight and obese pregnant women during childbirth as overate people, shapeless, slow and unattractive. Age, specialty, education and years of experience were found to be associated with health care providers’ attitudes. The Conclusion: Health care providers negative attitudes toward overweight and obese pregnant women are a cause for concern. Therefore, maternal obesity was needed to be more adequately addressed in basic education courses, and in the continuing professional education classes of practicing health care providers.

Keywords: attitudes, obesity, prevalence rate, nurses, midwives, obstetrician, childbirth

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Authors: Balbasatu Ibrahim

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In the 19th century, Hausaland an Islamic revolution known as the Sokoto Jihad took place that led to the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1804 under the leadership of the famous Sheik Uthman Bn Fodiye. Before the Jihad movement in Hausaland (now Northern Nigeria), women were left in ignorance and were used and dumped like old kitchen utensils. The sheik and his followers did their best to actualising women’s right to education by using their female family members as role models who were highly educated and renowned scholars. After the Jihad with the establishment of an Islamic state, the women scholars initiated different strategies to teach the generality of the women. The most efficient strategy was the ‘Yantaru Movement founded by Nana Asma’u the daughter of Sheikh Uthman Bn Fodiye in collaboration with her sisters around 1840. The ‘Yantaru movement is a women’s educational movement aimed at enlightening women in rural and urban areas. The move helped in massively mobilizing women for education. In addition to town pupils, women from villages and throughout the nooks and crannies of metropolitan Sokoto participated in the movement in the search for knowledge. Thus, the birth of the ‘Yantaru system of women’s education. The ‘Yantaru operates the three-tier system at village, town and the metropolitan capital of Sokoto. ‘Yantaru functions include imparting knowledge to elderly women and young girls. Step down enlightenment program on returning home. The most effective medium of communication in the ‘Yantaru movement was through poetry where scholars composed educational poems which were memorized by the ‘Yantaru, who on return recite it to fellow women at home. Through this system, many women were educated. This paper translated and examines one of such educative poems written by the second leader of the ‘Yantaru Movement Maryam Bn Uthman Bn Fodiye in 1855.

Keywords: English, Hausa language, public enlightenment, Maryam Bint Uthman Ibn Foduye

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