Albanian Schools Research Articles

The Albanian School Facing The Difficulties For An Education Close To The Needs Of The Children With Special Needs

The Albanian School Facing The Difficulties For An Education Close To The Needs Of The Children With Special Needs

School Leadership in Pre-University Albanian Education System (1995-2012): Politics, Issues and Trends

The job of the school leader is becoming very difficult. During a working day, he has to face a variety of challenges and to find solutions for many problems of all kinds. The concerns and interests of parents, teachers and district administration do not always coincide. (Johnson, 1976: 80). On the other hand, public schools do not select the pupils who will attend. (Ibid) The children community in school is growing diverse due to their family origins which have different and unique structures, and to demographic movements. A diverse community represents diverse demands. The school leader shall be the manager and the teacher, the planner and the implementer, the school advocate and its critique, so as to be committed and able to perform its responsibilities (Pierce & Stapleton, 2002), comply with the requirements of DAR and MAS and find the right balance between different stakeholders. There are many complex roles a leader shall take which means assuming many accountability, however, not always justified by the salary. But, our main concern is to save the public schools, and in order to be able to compile such a mission, we need a new kind of leadership, visionary, able to understand what will happen to school at 5 to 10 years following, to identify problems and to know how to respond the needs in change of the community (Pierce & Stapleton, 2002). This essay is a review of key issues, trends and current policy in Albanian school leadership at pre-university education system during 1995-2012. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2015.v5n3p201

The Perception of the Greek in the Albanian National Identity-Building Process (1886-1938)

This paper presents the first findings of a longitudinal research to History School Textbooks in the Albanian-speaking Western Balkans, in Albania and outside it, from the Albanian National Awakening Movement to 2010s. The project aims at studying the Image of the 'Other' and its transformations during this time period and is, as far as we are aware, the first of its kind tracing all school history textbooks in a time-series spanning three centuries – Albania being a good example for a case-study. Longitudinal research on history textbooks, rarely pursued (Meyers 1976), seeks to add value to textbook research, as it provides an opportunity to trace the development of history-textbooks' production parallel to the history of a state and the construction of cultural 'remembering.' In doing so, the project, utilizing the idea of researching textbooks for traces of social controversy (Christophe 2010, Klerides 2010) and political conflict (Taylor, Guyver 2011), attempts to identify the role of textbooks in the historical origins and development of socio-political biases towards the 'Other' in Albania, a topic linked with cognitive aspects of collective memory (Beim 2007). One of the research project's facets is to investigate the image of the "Greek" in identifications and identification shifts of the study time and regions vis-a-vis majority/minority group, domestic and international developments, new states, bilateral and multilateral relations. We argue that the image of Greek as the ethnic "Other" in Albania school textbooks transforms in the frame of domestic developments in both countries and of bilateral relations. In this present paper we shall deal specifically with representation of Greek/Greece/Hellenes in the earliest recorded history textbooks in Albania until 1938, a period that corresponds with the first educational initiatives of Albania's national awakening movement (cultural awakening), the nascent Albanian state and its consolidation through mass educational movement until World War II. Our sampling units consist nine history textbooks including Naim Frasheri's Histori e Pergjithshme per Mesonjetoret e Para (General History for the First Schools) (1886, republished in 1920), the very first History textbook used in Albanian schools. In view of the noticeable differences between the various newer editions of older texts we deemed appropriate to code them, although this seemed to be the case more at Chekrezi 1935 as different from Cekrezi 1920, rather than the Frasheri example, where the two versions of the texts are identical. But we decided to include it nonetheless, since this book was reprinted and re-used in schools and one could argue it continued to have some impact.

Learning the Spanish Language for Ideological, Political, and other Curious Reasons

Spanish language and teaching it in Albanian schools did not come as a request of the labour market. It was made available only through the need and lunatic wishes of a dictator, who wanted to spread his words, his revolutionary ideas and the pattern of the building socialism in Albania according the lessons of Marxism-Leninism in the whole world, and in this case in Spanish-speaking world, either in Spain or Latin America. As a consequence, small but concrete steps were undertaken for the schooling and professional education of those who in the future would work as translators, radio presenters or teachers of Spanish language. The main purpose of this research is to highlight the itinerary followed by the Spanish language in the context of totalitarism in Albania from the ‘90s till nowdays

The Albanian School Facing the Difficulties for an Education Close to the Needs of the Children with Special Needs

The inclusion in education, is defined as the most favorable mean that creates the equal opportunities in education for all the children, with or without disabled abilities. The increase of the number of children with special needs and especially with those with autism within the classes, but this is followed with new challenges for the teachers of the inclusive classes in the Albanian schools. The problems of the teaching task of the teachers in these classes are a lot, but to minimize them the teaching process worldwide is paying too much favorable space by analyzing and orientations to make these problems a bit slighter. This research aims to be an empirical survey, while from its nature and condition to be qualitative. For the collection of the datas and statistics are used observations, interviews and focus groups. And as for the target group are considered the classes and the teachers that have in their members students with autism.

The impact of Albanian schools in the Nation-building process

Education is often perceived as an individual will of citizens to become part of the social edifice, in which they learn the history of their ancestors and their country despite of the political sphere. In this paper I’ll try to argue that not only education isn’t an independent category of knowledge, but also that the whole process of learning is marked and shaped by a given political goal, namely the construction of a solid social space which defines our political identity as members of a community. A further study of the historical contexts in which education gave birth to a unified social community will give an answer to the issue if education is a field deprived of any political argument but only objective truths, or if this field performs specific functions to unify a functionally divided society and its mission comes from outside the education system. This issue will be treated through a comparative analysis between two opposite scholars of nationalism such as Isa Blumi and Denisa Kostovicova. Firstly I’ll try to argue the impact of schools and mass education on the construction of national myths from the perspective of the contemporary theories of nationalism which will be explained in the discussion between the primordialist (learning has always existed and it contains historical truths despite of the political sphere with the final mission of nationally promoting mother tongue) and the instrumentalist (learning is shaped as a political instrument with a specific function) viewpoint.

The Influence of Several Aspects of Verbal and Pre-Verbal Communication of the Teacher on the Pupils

As we know the main types of communication are the verbal, nonverbal and pre-verbal ones. According to several scholars the communication between the teacher and the pupils displays the fact that the density, the intensity, the quality, the space used by the both sides during the class exert a considerable influence in the creation of a general positive milieu in the classroom or in the relations between these two parties as well as the smooth continuation of the teaching and education process.The communication at school being an important aspect of the school life serves to the proper development of the learning process on the part of the pupils and also based on human values serves as a general regulator in the relationship among the social groups in the micro environment at school.We center our study on the character of the teacher with his contributions and modalities in his communication regarding the pupils, regarding the quality of the teaching in the close connection to the environment, the milieu being created in the classroom, also with his motivation in his academic work and his didactic efficiency. Our study aims to show the importance of several aspects of verbal and pre-verbal communication of the teacher and their perception by the pupils in Albanian schools.

Impact of the Teaching Techniques on the Distruptive Behaviour

The disruptive behaviour of students and the impact that the teaching techniques may have on it are an important issued for the Albanian school. One of the techniques that has new the tendency to be used in the Albanian education is the Respond Cards (RC) Technique. This technique offers students plenty of opportunities to interact when they are learning a new material, or when repeating a material learned before. It also enables teachers to assess the understanding of each student, react instantly and adapt the lesson and the class to the circumstances. The goal of this study is to assess the impact that using the RCs Technique in the class of Knowledge on the Nature will have on the students’ disrupting behaviour. The RCs Technique was used in combination with the Single-Student Responding (SSR) Technique through an ABAB type design. Five students of the fourth grade in the “Ali Agjah” school in Elbasan, Albania were the sample for the data collection. The disruptive behaviour was measured during SSRs and RCs, by partial intervals’ recording in the observation of each student in each session. Results showed that when RCs were used the average number of intervals with disruptive behaviour fell by 5.4 and that there were no differences between genders. It is not only productive, but also essential and indispensable to implement effective instructing techniques such as RCs, which highly evaluate the active responses of the students. Teachers must deal with disruptive behaviour, but they also should see deep in their teaching techniques. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s1p69

Gender Socialization in Albanian Schools: Reading the Texts, Listening to the Teachers

Gender Socialization in Albanian Schools: Reading the Texts, Listening to the Teachers

Impact of Educational Leadership Styles on Job Teachers Stress

During the school management, it is very important to have an effective school but more important is to use the right styles according to health safety and high outcomes. The leadership is a wide concept in general way and a specific one according to the education and school too. The tradition of school leadership is new in Albania. The education leadership in the new Albanian context request establishing of school leadership. The knowledge and application of contemporary education leadership it is obligatory for improvement and raising effectively to Albanian school. This study is focus in the influence of educational leadership styles in the job teachers stress and satisfaction. The research question is: what is the best and right education leadership style need to be applied in Albanian school. The research method is a quantities and qualitative way through the questionnaires, semi and structures interviews. The conclusion is that no all the educational leadership styles that are effective ones, are the right educational leadership styles. This conclusion brings the need to be selected the educational organizational theories for an effective school through the right educational leadership styles.

School Effects, Gender and Socioeconomic Differences in Reading Performance: A Multilevel Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of Albanian secondary schools, which are associated with reading achievement and the effects of gender and socio-economic status on reading performance of 15-year-old students. This study used data on the background and achievement of 4,596 students in 181 Albanian schools from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Given the nested structure of the data, two-level Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) methods were used to address multilevel research questions. About a third of the total variance in reading performance lies between schools, indicating that school characteristics are important in predicting student achievement. The results clearly reveal the significant relationships of socio-economic status (SES) and gender with student achievement, even after controlling for family structure (two parent families versus others), learning strategies use, and reading engagement. There is also a substantial variability among schools on gender difference in student performance and the effect of SES on student performance. The results from the between-school model suggest that school type, school SES and classroom environment are significant predictors of school performance. Moreover, gender gap in reading performance is associated with school sector (public/private), school location (urban/rural), and average reading engagement; and SES effect on student performance is associated with school type (general/vocational), school location and average reading engagement. The characteristics of schools that make them excellent and more equitable are summarized.

Interactive and all Inclusive Teaching as a New Methodology of the Modern Curriculum

The aim of this paper is to focus on analyzing and providing answers to the following research questions: How applicable are the new methods of teaching? Why, in some cases, teachers do not apply these modern methods? What must be done to overcome the obstacles and practice interactive teaching? The results of this research are taken through the analysis of interviews conducted with 10 English teachers and questionnaires with 300 students in five high schools in the city of Elbasan, Albania. The schools use Albanian as the medium of instruction and English as a second language. Interactive and all inclusive teaching is increasingly seen as a priority to be applied entirely in Albanian schools because it is not only regarded as an important method for increasing teaching quality but also for the fact that Albania has already entered the irreversible way of the all portfolios implementation approved by the Council of Europe. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n6p529

Physical and Psychological Violence in High Schools, Teaching their Treatment

During the last two decades, educational reforms have had to do with programs, texts, achieving objectives, the new high school curriculum, M.SH and teaching models. A hidden issue, but more disturbing recent violence in Albanian schools. It is clear that violence prevails not only in school, but there is a lack of understanding as to the causes underlying this phenomenon, the impact it has on the lives of children and possible ways to tackle this problem, which affects thousands of students in days. Since the bullying day - the day of cases is increasing, so is the duty of all responsible institutions, to investigate this negative phenomenon. Measures to prevent adding professionalism, sound education and the right professional to advice on the youth and adults. Children do not lose their human rights by overcoming the threshold of the school. Thus, for example, education must be provided in a manner that respects the inherent dignity of the child, giving the child the opportunity to express his views freely and to participate in school life. Education should be provided in a manner that respects the strict limits on discipline and promote a culture of against violence in school. The talent is developed skills in the highest degree. This gifted child born should be supported to enable him to be great in science, art, social life, etc.. Should know the nature of the students and enable them cope with life's challenges. The choice of profession and career are two of the most important decisions for human life. Inadvertently and unconsciously through violence we enslave drowned talent and great scientist , famous artist, military strategist, I object to violence because when it appears and do good, the good is only temporary, and when it is evil, evil is eternal! DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n19p546

Change Disruptive Behavior by Changing Teaching: Improve Class Management by Adding a Variety of Teaching Strategies

An important issue in the Albanian schools is the disruptive behaviour and the impact that teaching can have on it. This empirical study explores the relationship between interactive teaching in pairs and the pupils’ disruptive behaviour. It basically aims to find out if interactive teaching in pairs is accompanied by a greater or smaller number of disruptive behaviour occurrences than direct teaching. The participants are the pupils of a third grade class of the “Naim Frasheri” school in Elbasan, Albania. The school and the class where the study was conducted were chosen by randomisation. The study consisted in measuring a disruptive behaviour during direct teaching, performing an intervention, and then measuring the behaviour during interactive teaching in pairs. The data on the disruptive behaviour were collected through direct observation and were analysed using SPSS. The results of the data analysis showed that interactive teaching in pairs (mean difference 2.26, sig .000; two-tailed) is accompanied by less occurrences of disruptive behaviour than direct teaching. To have less disruptive behaviour teachers should change the teaching - they should use a variety of teaching strategies to involve all pupils and organise the class time in intervals of different activities to help pupils stay focused on the tasks. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n19p449

Demographic and social correlates of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use among 15-16-year-old students in Albania: Results of the ESPAD survey

Aims Our aim was to assess the demographic and social factors associated with lifetime use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis among school students aged 15-16 in Albania in order to make information and knowledge available for health promotion specialists working on substance use prevention. Design This cross-sectional study was conducted in March-May 2011 in the framework of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). In total, 3189 students born in 1995 participated in the survey. The standardised ESPAD questionnaire was used to collect data about substance use. Results Our multivariable adjustment analysis showed that being a male and having easy access to cigarettes were the only universal factors significantly increasing the likelihood of ever using tobacco, alcohol or cannabis. Own smoking was strongly and significantly associated with alcohol and cannabis use. The associations of own substance use with peer substance consumption were weak to moderate. Conclusions Own smoking seems to be the most important single independent risk factor which strongly and significantly predicted alcohol and cannabis use among Albanian school students. Policy makers need to strengthen the rule of law whereas health promotion professionals should firmly address smoking in adolescence through target interventions.

How Parental Encouragement and Evaluation for the English Teacher Reflect Pupils Attitudes to Learn the English Language

This study aimed at identifying the factor of pupils` evaluation for parents and teachers while studying the English language as a major priority in Albanian schools. In order to discover the attitudes and the evaluation for the English teacher the ATMB test (Attitude and Motivation Test Battery) was used in a sample of 200 pupils of secondary school in Tirana. The test was administered for two of its scales, the parental encouragement and English teacher evaluation. The data was gathered and calculated afterwards on the SPSS 18. This study has taken out results based on quantitative research thus conveying statistical values of the respective answers from the respondents. The answers varied from the absolute disagreement to the utmost agreement of statements for each scale. The selected scales had a total score of 70 each. It resulted from the measurement for the scale of English teacher evaluation a score of 60 out of which stands for slightly higher than moderate degree of evaluation for the teacher and a score of 56 for the parental support to learning the language. In other terms this study concludes that pupils in secondary cycle of studies highly evaluated the teacher of English language and they were only moderately encouraged by their parents to learn the language. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n4p284

The Ivanaj Reform and Its Impact on the Italian-Albanian Relations

In 1931-1935 there have been numerous events that played an important role in Albanian foreign political orientation, governed by AhmetZogu at that time. The King Zog, tried to make an independent foreign policy by approaching to its neighbour countries and by establishing new political relations as a result of an anti- italianism stream created in the country, as well as a result of the italian interventions and the fear from italian influence. The Government of Tirana undertook a series of measures that reconfirmed the independent line, which were against italian politics in Albania. One of these reforms was the educational reform of 1933 for the nationalization of the Albanian school and making it a national school, known in the history as “Ivanaj Reform”. This reform, with a nationalist character, that intended the national school unification led to the closure of all the private and foreign schools in Albania. There were immediate reactions from the foreign and local press toward this event, but the toughest attitudes were from neighbor countries. As e response Italy decided to cut all financial aids. Whereas Greece accused for violations toward greek minority rights and brought the issue to the International Court of Hague, which by its side recommended the Albanian government to reopen the Greek schools. Found in tough economical position and after none of other Balkan and European countries gave their help, the King Zog was obligated to return to italian “friendship” and together in 1936 signed a series of agreements. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n3p301

Changes in the School Curriculum in Albania

The organizing of schools, college and more further education has been associated with the ideas of the same sets of courses which the educational institution offers, called: the school curriculum. The curriculum can also be considered as the interaction of teachers, students and knowledge. In other words, curriculum is what actually happens in the classroom between the participants preparing or/and evaluating. In Albania’s schools, the curriculum changes very often and almost every year in the two last decades , something new is added, but soon it will be fundamentally reformulated, the biggest change being the making of the primary school 6 years and what should be middle school, 3 years, unlike now where the system is based on a 5 + 4 years of pre high-school education. But will this change improve the quality of teaching? Should there be made any changes at all? To achieve these goals on the Albanian education, the National Pre-University Education Strategy describes the way that this change would improve the system. Solutions consist in reviewing and studying the changes the system itself has made and if it has brought to better results, as the changing of the syllabus and school texts. Is the Albanian School prepared for this change? DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n4p368

Identity projects in complementary and mainstream schools: the views of Albanian and Bulgarian students in England

This paper contributes to the literature on complementary schools as sites of learning and social and cultural identification. We draw on a small-scale multi-method qualitative study conducted in Albanian and Bulgarian community schools in London to explore the agendas of ‘new’ Eastern European complementary schools with respect to learning and heritage and their impact on migrant students’ identities and experiences with education in the UK. Findings demonstrate that different models of complementary schooling and students’ experiences of mainstream education affected students’ views in different ways. The paper explores how the ‘hard’ and ‘boring’ culture of Bulgarian complementary school resulted in students’ expressions of greater liking for learning in mainstream school and valuing of its multiethnic context. It further examines how practices in another complementary school and students’ wider social experiences resulted in a stronger sense of Albanian heritage identity in students, but in more problematic views of UK cultural diversity. In elaborating these themes we seek to draw some implications for policy and practice.

Problems and strategies of teaching and translating English idioms in Albanian schools - Theoretical and practical implications

The aim of this paper is to present the main strategies, problems and difficulties that English language teachers encounter while teaching idioms in Albanian schools. Idiomatic language and expressions place an important part in English phraseology, as a reflection of the mentality and spirituality of the nation vision of the world. Translating idioms needs good competence of the target language, which makes the issue a difficult and challenging task for the teachers and translators, too. The scope of this study is to show theoretical and practical implications of idiom teaching and translation in primary and secondary schools of Korça region. It outlines the main problems, methods and ways which have been investigated through a questionnaire carried out to 41 English teachers, 7 of which teaching in villages and 34 in the city. A quantitative research is carried out to give a general view on idiom teaching and the place translation acquires in the target language. The most effective strategies and methods are outlined to illustrate the results of this study. As teaching idioms is considered to be a difficult process, the scope of this study aims at presenting data collected showing Albanian teacher’s experience and the role of the target language in idiom meaning explanation.