The role of continuous professional development (CPD) in advancing basic school leaders in the context of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) cannot be overemphasised in the actualisation of positive change in the school system. The 4IR transformed the nature of work across human endeavours, requiring school leaders to be trained and retrained. The study endeavoured to understand CPD approaches available in Africa for school leaders in 4IR. This study adopted a systematic review of the literature. Several bibliographic databases identified two thousand three hundred and fifty-three academic articles using the PRISMA protocol. Hence, the eleven studies on basic school leadership CPD in Africa were used. As a result of the review, CPD activities should focus on enhancing school leaders' abilities to manage, build teams, be professional, communicate effectively in interpersonal situations, and teach and assess. Furthermore, in-service training, cohort meetings, group learning/collegial learning, learning by exposure, formal leadership training for new principals, compulsory leadership courses through the leadership training centre, regular training, networking, and coaching, among others, could be used as CPD to prepare school leaders for the 4IR. Keywords: continuous professional development, collegial training, education leaders, in-service training, 4IR

Inclusion is widely recognized as one of the founding principles for the quality of educational institutions and it is strictly related to the ICF perspective. Actually, the conceptualization of educational needs is associated to the enhancement of everyone’s strengths and potential, and to the influence the (physical and social) environment may have. For these reasons schools should pay attention on these factors and on what is positive to lead to transformative and generative processes that may promote inclusion. In this sense, a useful framework may be that of the Appreciative Inquiry as it is strength-based process through which people act in partnership to determine and co-create how to move an organization forward. Based on this premises, this contribution aims at exploring existing literature on the adoption of this strength-based approach in the inclusive educational field and presenting preliminary results of a Scoping review. The PRISMA-ScR checklist will be used to report the review and five databases and global search engines. As a final point, this preliminary investigation will pay special attention to the adoption of the Appreciative Inquiry to encourage full participation and learning process of students who use Virtual Learning Environment at school. Results show that only few studies adopt the AI in this specific educational field, but an interesting investigation propose the adaptation of the Appreciative Learning. Hence, more studies should be done to make clear how this process may support inclusive process. Keywords: appreciative inquiry, inclusion, virtual learning environments, scoping review

This study aimed to investigate the impact of using scoring rubrics on assessing the performance of students in achievement. The study followed an experimental approach, and the sample consisted of 187 male and female students enrolled in the Calculus course. They were divided into three groups: the first experimental group, whose performance was evaluated using analytical scoring rubrics, the second experimental group, whose performance was evaluated using holistic scoring rubrics, and the control group, whose performance was evaluated using the traditional method. Additionally, a mathematics achievement test was developed, and two of scoring rubrics, one analytical and the other holistic, were prepared to evaluate students' performance. The results of the study favored the use of analytical scoring rubrics over holistic correction rules, as they considered all details, procedures, and levels of understanding and perception. The students expressed satisfaction with the use of analytical and holistic performance scoring rubrics in evaluating their performance. The study recommended the need for students to pay attention to interpreting their procedures when performing mathematical tasks. It also encouraged teachers to use scoring rubrics to evaluate students' performance and called upon curriculum authors to make the necessary modifications and additions to increase students' opportunities for justifying their procedures. Moreover, conducting in-depth studies that allow students to justify their procedures was suggested. Keywords: performance-based assessment, scoring rubrics, achievement, composition and inverse functions, assessment strategies, educational psychology, pedagogical methods.

During the last decades, prevalence of pupils with Specific Learning Disorder, and more specifically with Dyslexia, is on the increase in Italian schools. It requires both researchers and teachers to investigate, adapt and adopt simplex teaching strategies. that may foster pupils learning process at primary schools by taking account of their educational needs, their learning styles and preferences. According to these premises, the following article aims to create a teaching tool that may support the reading learning process of pupils with dyslexia, during the first years of primary schools, by adopting the simplex principle of detour and the educational potential of music. Keywords: music, simplexity, specific learning disorders, inclusive education, reading skill

HEI’s attempt to stay relevant and viable through engaging effectively with society, government and the private sector at all levels. These objectives are achieved via renovating their vision, approaches to learning and teaching and developing relevant graduate profiles for employment in both public and private sectors. It has been recognised that these interrelated challenges can successfully be accomplished through effective management practices and resourceful planning to handle ongoing market influences, competition and fluctuations in student enrolments. Therefore, enabling the institution to align its decisions with its mission and goals, while addressing risk assessment and risk management and considering the needs and expectations of its internal and external constituents. This paper presents a collaborative process for developing learning and teaching strategic plans, with a focus on graduate employability profiles, to fulfil an institution’s forethought for the future. The paper also proposes an implementation procedure to manage the successful delivery of declared learning and teaching priorities and objectives. In other words, enabling the organisation to remain relevant and competitive and on the path to realize this aspiration. Keywords: Higher Education, Learning and Teaching, Strategic Plans, Relevance, Graduate Employability.

This research paper attempts to investigate the organization and effectiveness of vocabulary notebooks by distinguishing several benefits the implementation of this technique brings in the acquisition of technical terminology through an “English for Specific Purposes course”. When tackling with language learning, it is needless to emphasize the noteworthiness and the importance of vocabulary in this process. Appertaining to technical terminology, this plays entirely pertinent. Various studies have concluded that vocabulary notebooks (henceforth VN) efficiently expose different learners’ strategies within this single strategy, which led us to research VN. These research data were obtained mainly by applying the observational research technique, a vocabulary oral and written exam, and a comprehensive questionnaire on the effectiveness of the Vocabulary Notebook. Mechanical Engineering, Textile Engineering, and Hydrotechnical Engineering students at the Polytechnic University of Tirana were selected to obtain the data. The observation is partly overt and partly covert. Students of Mechanical Engineering and Textile Engineering (75 students) are the treatment group wherein the Mechanical Engineering students are an overt group and the Textile Engineering students serve as the covert observational group while on the other hand, the Hydrotechnical Engineering (45 students) students are the control group. The data were obtained during and at the end of the semester. Throughout the observation all along the 1st semester, it was perceived that most of the students organized their VN by utilizing mainly Microsoft Word downloaded on their Smart Phones, while the rest used the traditional paper notebook to organize their technical VN. The organization of the VN reflected the strategies each of the students implemented to learn technical terminology. At the end, students were tested on their acquired terminology through an oral and a short-written exam and then a questionnaire was handed to them. The students of the overt group making use of a digitalized form of a Notebook resulted to have acquired most of the technical vocabulary. In the main, the overt group outperformed the covert group on the acquisition of technical vocabulary, while the control group’s score on the oral exam was significantly below, compared to the all-inclusive treatment group. Students’ questionnaire revealed that overall students had a positive approach to this strategy and they embraced the autonomy acquired throughout the semester by implementing this strategy. With the exception of the effectiveness on vocabulary acquisition, which was on higher levels, this strategy proved itself once again to be an enhancer and promoter of learner autonomy. Keywords: vocabulary notebooks, autonomous learning, technical terminology List of Abbreviations: VN – Vocabulary Notebook, ME – Mechanical Engineering, TE – Textile Engineering

The study investigated the effects of age on self-efficacy among teachers in secondary schools in Kenya. The concurrent triangulation design was adopted. A sample size of 327 teacher participants was obtained using both stratified and simple random sampling techniques. The Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) was used to collect quantitative data. In addition, semi-structured interview was used to collect qualitative data. The reliability coefficient for the TSES was α = 0.996. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The MANOVA results indicate that the effect of age on teachers’ self-efficacy was not significant, Wilk’s λ (6, 320) = 0.947, p = 0.498. Qualitative results reported a significant effect of age on teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management. The Kenyan Teachers’ Service Commission should carry out periodical assessment of teachers’ self-efficacy to identify teachers that are vulnerable to low self-efficacy. Keywords: effects, age, self-efficacy, teachers, secondary schools, Kenya

Active teaching-learning methodologies are a reality at the School of Education and Social Sciences of the Polytechnic of Leiria (Portugal), namely through the articulation with institutions of the community. The qualitative research presented in this article intends to analyse the perception of the students who are attending the Higher Professional Technical Course in Sociocultural and Sports Intervention, specifically concerning the importance of these methodologies in a project carried out with the District Hospital of Leiria. During the development of this partnership, 42 students were challenged to collaborate throughout the training process and, at the end, they were asked to write a report, which was considered the data collection instrument. These individual reports include descriptions, analyses and reflections that were processed through content analysis, using categories, and adopting an exploratory approach. The results showed that the students considered that this methodology of teaching-learning allows them to acquire know-what, know-why and know-how competencies. Moreover, they admit that the articulation with external institutions contributes to a better acquisition and mobilisation of practical knowledge that they will be able to apply to different situations, spaces and times in their future professional lives. Keywords: higher education, active teaching-learning methodologies, pedagogic innovation, community intervention, transdisciplinarity

The study examines the use of feedforward-based collaborative assessment (FbCA) for students majoring in foreign languages at a tertiary institution in Vietnam. A mixed-method research approach was utilized to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from 306 English major students and eight teachers. Research instruments such as questionnaires, reflective diaries, observations, and interviews were employed to assess the perceptions of students and instructors regarding the significance of implementing FbCA, its impact on students' learning engagement and academic achievement, and students' expectations for changes in assessment mechanisms to ensure the effective use of FbCA. The findings highlighted several benefits of FbCA in terms of skill, knowledge, and practice development. This evaluation approach enhanced students' learning motivation and positively contributed to their academic performance. However, the qualitative data also revealed various challenges related to the effective implementation of assessment practices and the maintenance of academic integrity. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for improving teaching, learning, and assessment practices. Keywords: academic performance, collaborative assessment, feedforward assessment, foreign language-majored students, learning motivation