Catalan, a threatened language? The linguistic vitality of Catalan according to Catalan youth

The Sindhi language, a descendent of a pre-Vedic Prakit language is the most widely spoken language in South Asia. Sindhi speech community comprises both Muslims, and Hindus which have distinct cultural and religious practices, yet they are socially connected because of the geographical link with their land. However, due to the partitioning of the Indian sub-continent, many Sindhi Hindus migrated to India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and many other countries. There has not only been an external diaspora but within Pakistan, there has also been an internal diaspora of younger Sindhi Muslims who have moved to cities like Karachi, Hyderabad, and Sukkur to pursue tertiary education. These young speakers have acquired and learned the dominant languages Urdu and English as their second and third languages while shifting away from their native Sindhi language. This study investigates the identity markers which have enabled them to retain their Sindhiness[1]. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 male and female young Sindhis and shadow observation of three participants in Karachi. The analysis shows that young Sindhi speakers have a high sense of group solidarity with their community and retain the use of culturally loaded identity markers which include naming patterns, cuisine, dressing, music, customs, rituals, social values, and networking. According to Fishman (1996), there is a deep relationship between language and culture. Despite a shift away from the habitual use of the Sindhi language these respondents have maintained their cultural values and norms. Keywords: cultural maintenance, language shift, Sindhi community, Karachi

This study aimed to identify the contributing factors to the successful development and use of a mobile digital library model, assess its feasibility for teaching purposes, determine the technological competences of teachers in utilizing mobile technology, and develop a suitable mobile digital library model for under-resourced schools. The objectives of the study were to identify the factors that would contribute to the successful development and the use of mobile digital library model for teaching and learning support at selected under-resourced public high schools in KwaZulu-Natal; to establish the feasibility of using a mobile digital library model for teaching in selected under-resourced public high schools in KwaZulu-Natal; to ascertain the technological competences of teachers to use mobile technology; and to develop a mobile digital library model suitable for teaching in under-resourced schools. The study employed an exploratory sequential mixed method design. The preferred research paradigm for this study was pragmatism and interpretivism. The study surveyed eleven selected under-resourced public high schools in KwaZulu-Natal, categorized as quintile one, quintile two, and quintile three. Ninety-three teachers and three teacher librarians contributed to the study. Clustersampling method was employed to select the participating schools. Data collection instruments included individual interviews with teacher librarians, focus group discussions with teachers, and self-administered questionnaires for teachers and librarians. The study consisted of two distinct phases i.e. qualitative data collection through focus group and individual interviews then quantitative data collection with the usage of questionnaire. A mixed methods approach for data analysis was used. Both individual interviews and focus group interviews were transcribed and later edited, with the audio recordings serving as the primary source of data. The themes were formulated by the researcher, and the findings were subsequently synthesized and organized within these thematic categories. For quantitative data, the researcher employed multivariate analysis, a statistical technique aimed at investigating relationships among multiple variables. The findings revealed several factors influencing the development and use of a mobile digital library, such as the need for digital literacy training for the school community, user-friendliness of the mobile digital library platform, and financial support from the organization. The feasibility of implementing a mobile digital library relied on factors such as financial support, robust internet connectivity, digital literacy among the school community, and improvements in technological infrastructure. Additionally, the study found that younger teachers demonstrated greater technological competence compared to more experienced teachers. A mobile digital library model was developed to support teaching, ensuring a conducive learning environment where teachers and learners have access to information anytime and anywhere. The study recommends regular training for teachers and learners on the utilisation of a mobile digital library, adequate funding for hosting and maintenance, and improvements in technological infrastructure.

PurposeThis study aims to determine the extent school-based management committee (SBMC) participates in enhancing quality assurance in secondary school management in Enugu state, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA total of 1,305 people participated in the study, which included a sample of 843 comprising 281 principals in all the public secondary schools, 281 community representatives and 281 Parent Teachers Association (PTA) representatives were randomly selected form Enugu State, Nigeria. There were 17 local government areas in Enugu State where those public schools were located; a 29-item questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection. In addition, the questionnaire was developed using simple English words to facilitate their understanding. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while analysis of variance was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings showed that SBMC enhanced quality assurance in public secondary schools in Enugu State to a low extent. The government should therefore educate the principals on the role of the SBMC to ensure quality in public secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria.Research limitations/implicationsIt was challenging for the researchers to help the principals understand the rationale and significance of the study. Thus, the researchers spent a great deal of time, explaining the parameters and goals of the study. Another limitation was that additional data from interview and focus group could have added more useful information. Therefore, future researchers should try as much as possible to add focus group discussion and interview in studies similar to this one.Practical implicationsThe finding that there are major problems militating against the operation of the SBMC in public secondary schools in Enugu State Nigeria implies that if proper policy is not made to ease the implementation of SBMC, it would be difficult to maintain quality assurance in the secondary schools. In addition, the findings show indication that educational counseling is lacking in the secondary schools in Enugu state, especially on the part of principals, and PTA. Therefore, there is need for the government to make quality assurance counseling available for principal and PTA to ensure quality assurance.Originality/valueThe researchers originated that SBMC enhances quality assurance in public secondary schools.

Language practices and attitudes among young minority language speakers in Thailand, focusing on the Kui language, are examined. Sociolinguistic data obtained from three months of fieldwork in the northeastern provinces of Surin, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani and in Bangkok provide insights into the language competence, language attitudes and linguistic awareness of young Kui speakers. We found that young speakers use language differently in various settings. Males and females use minority and majority languages differently and with varying confidence. Internal and external motivations such as language prestige and identity condition may foretell the future of the Kui language in Thailand. The dynamics of minority language use and the preservation and transmission of threatened and shifting languages are highlighted. This study reveals the current speaking preferences of young Kui speakers and allows for predictions regarding their prospective short- and long-term language use.

This dissertation examined African-American high school seniors’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching in one public high school within a large urban public-school district in the southeastern region of the United States. It begins with a brief historical overview on the plight of African-Americans in the US public education system and how public school educators have failed to leverage Afrocultural learning orientations as an asset to educate and increase the academic achievement of African-American students in classrooms. The Philosophical Aspects of Cultural Difference Framework (Nichols, 1986, 1995) will guide this dissertation study. The latter part of the dissertation reveals that a critical examination of Afrocultural learning orientations, specifically communalism, verve, and movement (music), and achievement has potential to improve performance, engagement, and motivation of African-American students in US public-school classrooms. This study is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 begins with a current snapshot of African-American students’ academic achievement and outcomes in the US public-schools system. Chapter 1 connects current trend data of African-American students’ academic achievement and outcomes to the purpose and analytical strategy of this research study. Chapter 1 also provides a definition of terms and lays out the organization of the research study. Chapter 2 gives a historical overview of African-Americans in the US educational system, reviews current literature on culturally responsive teaching and how the use of Afrocultural learning orientations has produced academic successfulness for African-American students. Chapter 3 focuses on the methodological approach used for this research. Chapter 4 focuses on research findings from the purposeful sampling of nine African-American high school seniors who were recruited through a Demographic Survey to participate in one-on-one interviews, a focus group interview, and who completed a Participant Profile sheet. Chapter 5 discusses the findings, and links the findings to implications and suggestions for future research.

(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)The current debate on education in Latin America centers on the need to raise the quality of education offered and to universalize school attendance. While many Latin American countries have achieved almost universal school attendance among children from 7 to 14 years of age, much remains to be done in terms of older and younger groups (Lopez-Calva and Lustig 2010). With respect to educational quality, international test score results show that Latin American students tend to perform very badly in comparison with students in other countries. Figure 1, for example, compares average math test scores in several Latin American countries with those in high-scoring countries and with the OECD average, using the results of the latest (2009) PISA international evaluation. The figure shows quite clearly that the relative performance of Latin American students is dismal, even if one takes into account that the improvements in results over time in Brazil and Chile were among the greatest in this PISA.Hanushek and Woessmann (2009) examines the importance of educational quality, measured by cognitive tests, for growth in various regions. The authors' estimated effects of cognitive skills are smaller in the Latin American subsample than in subsamples from other regions, but they are still important and statistically significant. Various government educational policies, along with initiatives from civil society and business, are aimed at addressing the questions of attainment and quality, but particular emphasis has been given to improving the quality of the education offered by public schools in Latin American countries (see Glewwe and Kremer 2006 for a review). This paper contributes to this literature by estimating the impact and analyzing the cost-benefit relationship of a specific educational program, the Brazilian Public School Math Olympics (OBMEP), a program aimed at encouraging better mathematics teaching and learning in Brazil.Math olympics can be found in several countries around the world. One of the oldest programs is the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which has run since 1959 and includes both public and private schools. In 2011, 101 countries took part in the IMO, with teams of around six participants (participants are high school students 19 years of age or less). The event is held in a different country every year. The main goal of the IMO is to identify and recognize the top young mathematicians in the world. It is expected that in the process of selecting their national teams, participating countries stimulate interest in mathematics in their country.The United States and Colombia both conduct national math olympics, and both declare that the main objective of the competition is to bolster educational quality in general. In the United States, competitions are held for all school grades, and in Colombia, as in Brazil, participation is open to students in secondary school or above. The math olympics in other countries are open to all schools, both public and private.1In Brazil there are two math olympics, run by the federal government. Brazilian Mathematics Olympics (OBM) includes public and private schools, and the Public School Math Olympics program restricts its focus to public schools. The latter, which is the focus of this study, has been promoted yearly since 2005 by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology in partnership with the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) and the Brazilian Mathematical Society (SBM); the last two institutions are responsible for its academic direction. Students from secondary and high school can participate in the program.2The stated objectives of the OBMEP are to stimulate and promote the study of mathematics among public school students; to contribute to the quality of basic education; to identify talented young people and encourage them to pursue careers in science and technology; to encourage the professional improvement of public school teachers; to contribute to the integration of public schools and public universities, research institutes, and scientific societies; and to promote social inclusion by spreading knowledge. …

This research aims to: 1) examine the status of education management in both public and private upper-secondary schools in three southern border provinces of Thailand, and; 2) study appropriate methods of integrating education congruent with the community’s identity in both public and private uppersecondary schools in the three southern border provinces of Thailand. The data were collected through in-depth interviews from 13 key informants and through a focus group of 29 key informants. Tools used to collect data for this research included: observation form, indepth interview form and focus group form.The data were analyzed using content analysis. The research results were as follows: 1) A clearer status of education management in both public and private upper-secondary schools in the three southern border provinces of Thailand. There are many responsible agencies that have been working on education management in these provinces, but the laws and other regulations in the field of education are not consistent with reality. In addition, the current situation of the problem in these provinces is a lack of encouragement for the teachers to work in the three provinces and some teachers do not teach the subject of his or her degree. The quality of education in ordinary courses in upper secondary schools of the three southern border provinces is at a low level. In addition, the proportion of students in private upper-secondary schools that provide religious education is higher than in public upper-secondary schools. 2) Appropriate methods of integrated education congruent with the community’s identity in both public and private upper-secondary schools in the three southern border provinces were found. There are 4 methods of integration. First is the integration of education management. It is necessary to establish a main agency to coordinate organizations related to education in the southern provinces and activities between administrators and teachers of Thai Muslims and Thai Buddhists should be promoted. In addition, there should be plans for cooperation between public and private schools for teaching Islamic studies and conducting an exchange of resources and materials for the teaching of Islamic studies. Second is integration of the budget. Allocation of budgets for private schools should consider the real situation of the schools. Third is integration of personnel management. There should be a program to train existing teachers who lack teaching experience and retired teachers which the ability to teach should be hired to alleviate the problem of lack of teachers and religious teachers from private schools can be invited to help teach religion in public schools. Finally is the integration of academic matters. To promote Islamic study, The Board of Basic Education should expand the intensive teaching of Islamic studies in public schools and development of the curriculum should promote the real and continuing integration of ordinary and religious courses.

Purpose of the study: This study was aimed at finding out the potentially disappearing adjectives in Acehnese and the reasons that may contribute to the disappearance by looking at the backgrounds of participants and their language use.
 Methodology: This is a sociolinguistic study employing questionnaires, wordlist interviews, and focus group interviews (FGI) as methods of data collection. Fifty Acehnese adjectives extracted from the Swadesh list were tested to 10 younger speakers (age 13-14), who were selected out of 113 respondents who returned the questionnaires. The selection criteria are considered to include age, origin, and parents’ origin. The respondents were all students of years 7 and 8 of a junior high school in a suburban area of Banda Aceh, considered the hot spot for the contact between Indonesian language speakers and Acehnese language speakers. Responses of the 10 participants interviewed were qualitatively analyzed to get the insights and circumstances of the use of the targeted adjectives.
 Main Findings: The findings of this study show that 50% of the number of tested words was only known to 50% of the participants interviewed. While the other half of the participants show varied knowledge and understanding of the tested adjectives, the questionnaire response also indicates that these young speakers’ rather negative attitudes toward the Acehnese point to the decreasing domains of language use.
 Applications of this study: The finding of this study is expected to contribute to the field of sociolinguistics in the way that it informs about the status and vitality of Acehnese Language from the specific segment of its speakers, which can be taken into consideration in the language policymaking.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: This study looks at which vocabulary items (from Swadesh list) are still known to the younger speakers of Acehnese. Specifically, this study focused on the adjectives in Acehnese, which are still familiar to the speakers and which are not.

This case study explored Medellín’s secondary English teachers’ perspectives, practices, and experiences related to English curriculum design and implementation in public schools. Data were collected using a survey sent to all secondary schools’ English teachers, analysis of school curriculum documents, and focus group interviews at five purposefully selected schools. Data indicate that there is a gap between the teachers’ preconceived notions of curriculum as holistic and integrative, and the notion of curriculum implied in the curriculum development process they implement (a more technical one). This gap is also evident in the schools’ general curriculum documents (that state the institution’s educational, holistic goals), and the English syllabus, (that tend to focus on language structures or communicative functions). Data also revealed the many challenges teachers face when designing and implementing the curriculum, including lack of preparation on curriculum development, collaborative work among teachers, and time to develop the contents. In conclusion, English teachers in public secondary schools need more significant and sustainable support in the analysis of contexts, as well as in the adaptation of curriculum guidelines.

A recent development in education is the public charter school as a homeschool model. In several states across the nation, a child may enroll in an independent study program of a public charter school and base his or her studies in the home. This model in the realm of education is called charter homeschool. The state of California has over 120 operating charter homeschools, also known as independent study programs or non-classroom based charter schools. The delivery of instruction from non-classroom based programs has begun to challenge traditional definitions of public schooling. The increased state accountability demands of student academic achievement, challenges the viability of sustaining these alternative schooling models. The purpose of this study was to investigate the academic achievement of students in a charter homeschool. This explanatory mixed methods study analyzed standardized test scores for students 2nd-11th grades over a two year academic term using SPSS. A survey methodology was employed to examine demographic trends, parent perceptions of academic achievement, reasons for choosing a charter home school as well as perceived effectiveness. A focus group interview was conducted with teachers, parents, and an administrator to determine the effectiveness of the charter homeschool as an alternative path of education for students. The following were the key questions guiding the study: How do students in a charter homeschool score on the California standardized tests? How does the average mean of test scores of the charter homeschool students compare to California state averages for public school students? What is the difference in test scores among groups of students who are homeschooled through a charter school (i.e. ethnic groups, grade level, gender, parent education level, parent economic status)? What are parent's, teacher's and an administrator's perceptions of student achievement in the charter homeschool? Data analysis and findings revealed students in the charter homeschool score the same as or better in English language arts when compared to students in California. Math scores for students in the charter homeschool tend to decline as students move up in grade level and enroll in advanced math courses when compared to students in California. The parent survey and focus interview responses confer charter homeschool students perform above standards. In addition, the survey and interview responses attest the California standardized test scores should not be used as a single method of validating student achievement in the charter homeschool. This study contributed to the limited literature available about charter

The aim of this study is to determine the nutritional indices (Glucose, cholesterol, total protein and albumin) and body mass index of students attending public and private secondary schools in Igbanke. The study was conducted on 185 students comprising 95 students from public secondary schools (Igbanke mixed secondary and Igbanke grammar school) and 90 students from private secondary schools (Future hope secondary school and Wisdom comprehensive secondary school) in Igbanke. The research was designed to evaluate and compare the nutritional indices (Glucose, cholesterol, total protein and albumin) of students attending public and private secondary schools in Igbanke. The sample analysis was done at Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. This study was carried out within three (3) months. Our result shows that the mean values of body mass index (BMI) of students in public secondary school and private secondary school are 20.28±4.21kg/m2 and 21.74±4.14 kg/m2 respectively. There is no significant difference (p>0.05) in the values of BMI of students in public secondary school when compared with private secondary school. The mean levels of glucose (Glu) of students in public secondary school and private secondary school are 84.38±12.80mg/dl and 79.48±15.02mg/dl respectively. There was a significant increase (p<0.05) in the level of Glu of students in public secondary school when compared with private secondary school. The mean levels of total protein (TP) of students in public secondary school and private secondary school are 6.78±0.86mg/dl and 6.98±0.58mg/dl respectively. There was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the level of TP of students in public secondary school when compared with private secondary school. The mean levels of albumin (Alb) of students in public secondary school and private secondary school are 3.73±0.61mg/dl and 4.01±0.48mg/dl respectively. There was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the level of Alb of students in public secondary school when compared with private secondary school. The mean levels of cholesterol (Chol) of students in public secondary school and private secondary school are 154.62±30.94mg/dl and 168.30±14.88mg/dl respectively. There was significant increase (p<0.05) in the levels of cholesterol of students in private secondary school when compared with public secondary school. In conclusion, a poor diet can cause deficiency diseases such as blindness, anemia, scurvy, health-threatening conditions like obesity and metabolic syndrome and such common chronic systemic diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. The findings from this study have shown that there are differences in the nutritional indices of students in public secondary school and private secondary school with public secondary school having lower protein level and private secondary school high cholesterol level.

Introduction: As one of the leading risk factors for disease burdens in the modern era, alcohol consumption exacerbates health-related repercussions with likely threatening influences on morbidity and mortality. Alcohol use in Liberia is a relic that hems in the anthropological and sociological perspectives on the economy, culture, and society. Students drinking has plagued several learning institutions across the country. Hence, some private and public institutions established school-based alcohol use control programs to help reduce in-school-youths' drinking. However, no study has credibly investigated the disparity in the prevalence of drinking between public and private school students. This study aimed to examine and compare the alcohol use prevalence between public and private secondary school students in Liberia.
 Methods: A quantitative method using a self-administered questionnaire to explore and interpret the prevalence of alcohol use between two independent populations, public (220) and private (180) secondary school students, was adopted. The study was done in Lofa County among students under age 14 to age 29 years. MS Excel 2016 (Office 365) was used for a two-proportion z-test analysis between two population proportions of alcohol users (public and private school students), while IBM 21.0 SPSS was used to perform chi-square tests of independence to test the association between categorical variables.
 Results: Drinking was a common phenomenon among students; however, the prevalence was significantly higher in public schools (71.8%) compared to private schools (32.8%). In a chi-square (X2) test for independence in an eventuality table, there is a non-significant association between alcohol use and "age group (p=0.406)," "gender (p=0.073)," and "grade levels (p=0.073) in public schools. However, in private schools, there is a significant association between alcohol use and "age group (p=0.000)," "gender (p=0.000)," and "grade levels (p=0.000).
 Conclusions: Several factors, as well as sociodemographic characteristics, limited knowledge of alcohol use policy, and students' proximity to family members who are distillers and vintners, especially in public schools, influence the high rate of alcohol use among students. Therefore, a comprehensive intervention strategy that encompasses students' social environment, including the community, school, and family, is needed to reduce and prevent students' drinking in Liberia.

Factors attributing to the psychological recovery from the 1999 Taiwan earthquake among junior high school students: a focus group interview study.

The study aimed to enrich the educational literature by suggesting a method for managing secondary school based on addressing the forms of waste in operations and showing the role of change leadership in secondary school in eliminating operational waste through the use of a lean approach, improving secondary school operations and adapting them with the Lean approach to maximize added value, improve performance, and enhance job satisfaction. The study adopted a qualitative approach based on the case study method, and used a focus group interview, where 7 group interviews were conducted with 21 school staff, teachers, administrators, technical mentors, and heads of departments in the educational administration that the school subject to the case study follows. Through the focus group interviews, the pathways of value production were revealed in the secondary school, and the researcher was able in an inductive way to understand the main issues, ideas, and concerns related to waste in school operations. The study found: - There are five types of waste in secondary school: wasting teachers’ capabilities, wasting operations, wasting information, wasting material assets, and wasting leadership. - Implementation of two workshops on the Lean approach and how change leadership can use it to eliminate waste. By understanding the governing philosophy of the Lean approach and training in the application of its tools, you can lead change in Egyptian secondary schools, maximize the role of the school, enhance the capabilities of workers, and transform the high school into a real educational institution. - The case study demonstrated the possibility of applying the Lean approach to secondary school operations and its success in eliminating waste, which enabled the school leadership to improve the flow of operations and reduce work for teachers, and allowed the reinvestment of staff time in ways that lead to adding new value to existing operations. - Strong leadership is a necessary condition for using the Lean approach, and it should spend 80% of the effort when using the Lean approach on changing leadership beliefs, behaviors and practices; Because strategic leadership activities facilitate the use of the approach.

Aims: The widespread use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) among adolescents has favored the creation of a newly written code called digitalk. This new code includes, among other characteristics, the use of foreign words as textisms, mainly anglicisms. These textisms also serve as a mark of identity among young speakers. The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to describe which are the more frequent anglicisms used by Spanish adolescents in their CMC and the code-mixing pathways of inclusion; second, to examine the possible influence between the use of anglicisms in the CMC of Spanish adolescents and their orthographic competence. Method: Based on an exploratory methodology, a corpus of interactions through WhatsApp of a group of adolescents attending Compulsory Secondary Education in a region of southern Spain has been analyzed. Data analysis: Sketch Engine software was used for corpus analysis, presenting the normalized frequency (1/1,000) of textisms, misspellings, and multimodal elements. Finally, for the descriptive statistical analysis of the data and for the bivariate correlation analysis applying Pearson’s coefficient, IBM SPSS v.26 software was used. Findings: The results indicate that young people use English Code-Mixings (ECM) as discursive framers with an expressive aim and as a sign of belonging to a specific community of speakers. Moreover, no positive correlation is observed between the use of these ECMs and a lower orthographic competence. Implications: ECMs show an important pragmatic function in CMC among Spanish adolescents. Furthermore, they are one of the elements that have been incorporated into the digital norm of Spanish and can be used in Compulsory Education as a resource for the acquisition of communicative competence in adolescents along with other textisms. Originality: This is the first research that analyzes the frequency and function of anglicisms in Spanish CMC and their impact on the orthographic competence of Spanish adolescents.