Classroom Activities Research Articles

Exploring Science Teachers’ Belief towards Inquiry Based Teaching Learning Activity at Grade –VI

The National Curriculum of Bangladesh (2012) recommends student-centric IBT (IBT) learning activities in the science classroom. However, teaching science in Bangladesh is hardly follows the instructions of curriculum, and most teachers are found not to place adequate emphasis on involving the students in the inquiry process. A possible reason might be science teachers’ belief. The focus of the research questions is to find out firstly, the beliefs of both urban and rural sixth grade science teachers and secondly, the differences between genders and lastly to explore the challenges of IBT. Thereby, a sequential explanatory mixed method was adopted for this study. The participating teachers were from both rural and urban areas. An interview was taken to support statistical and quantitative data for an in-depth explanation. The result revealed that teachers from both urban and rural areas have positive beliefs towards inquiry, and there is no significant difference between urban-rural and male-female teachers. In the case of urban teachers, the challenges were time and classroom management, but not for rural teachers. This study recommends that stakeholders use the inquiry instruction, reshape the training, and provide the teachers with the necessary opportunities for professional development programs in an effective way. Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 49 (2),135-149

Provision of Coaching and Mentoring Experiences: Narratives of Public Elementary School Teachers

This study narrated the lived experiences of public elementary school teachers who have undergone coaching and mentoring, shedding light on their coping strategies for addressing weaknesses and their insights into educational learning. This employed qualitative phenomenological research. Ten participants, recipients of coaching and mentoring, provided rich narratives that coalesced around three primary themes: engagement in professional development, adequacy of training resources, and the demands of the work environment. Concurrently, coping strategies for the challenges associated with coaching revealed three major themes: establishing teaching competence, demonstrating collaborative practices, and embracing reflective practices. Furthermore, the study identified two overarching learning insights derived from teachers' lived experiences: a dedication to being work-oriented and motivated. School leaders must recognize the transformative potential of coaching and mentoring in enhancing teaching practices. Teachers, in turn, should actively embrace and participate in any technical assistance provided. The Department of Education officials are urged to leverage the study's findings to develop a centralized professional development program that aligns with teachers' competencies and needs. Finally, students are encouraged to actively engage in classroom activities to foster a meaningful and holistic educational outcome.

Marginalization, Technology Access and Study Approaches of Undergraduate Distance Learners during Covid-19 Pandemic in India

The Covid-19 pandemic, for the past years, had led to disruption of classroom activities and adoption of online teaching-learning in almost all parts of the globe, including India. Sudden switch over from the classroom blackboard to the laptop screen may have influenced study approaches of students especially when there were challenges for access to technology and non-readiness for online learning among the Indian students. Since different social and economic factors bring differences in students’ learning, an online survey was conducted with 296 randomly selected undergraduate distance learning (DL) students of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to examine how technology access during the pandemic has influenced study approach of Indian DL students belonging to different marginalized and non-marginalized groups. The research results showed that marginalized students had lower access to technology than their non-marginalized counterparts, although no gender differences were found in access to technology in both the groups. Lower access to technology was found associated with more surface approach to study in the DL students in general and the marginalized students in particular. The marginalized females were found at risk in terms of both, access to technology and approaches to study. The findings, as discussed, are intended to further enrich our understanding of the role of technology vis-à-vis study approach of distance learning students during the pandemic, and formulate appropriate teaching-learning strategies for the future.

On the Use of an Online Polling Platform for Enhancing Student Engagement in an Engineering Module

Students’ engagement is a fundamental challenge in large classrooms in higher education. In recent years, innovative technologies such as electronic learning and online polling platforms have made learning more engaging, effective, and interactive. By using these platforms, educators can create more inclusive and enriching learning environments. This paper presents a novel approach in which an online technology is employed to enhance students’ learning experience. In this approach, features of an online polling platform, i.e., Slido, are employed to enhance students’ engagement in an engineering module, i.e., ‘Mechanics of Solids’, which is recognised as a fundamentally challenging module with difficult subjects. This study investigates how the interactive features of such technologies, such as real-time polls, question and answer (Q&A) sessions, and quizzes, can provide a more active and practical learning environment by improving student engagement in the classroom. In total, six online polls were designed: one for ice-breaking, two on the topics of shear forces and bending moment, two on stresses, and one on deflection. Each poll was presented to the students, and they participated in them by scanning a QR code or typing the poll’s code online. The rate of students’ participation in polls is extensively discussed to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. The findings of this study show a significant increase in student participation in classroom activities compared to traditional methods. Student feedback also indicates a positive learning experience with the use of the proposed approach. It is shown that the proposed approach has the potential to transform the way engineering students engage with challenging subjects, leading to enhanced learning outcomes and a more positive learning experience.

Academic English course for the health sciences: evolution towards a flipped classroom

The transition from university face-to-face teaching to blended learning can be challenging. This educational design research study investigated the optimal design for a blended and flipped learning approach to a scientific English course and the impact on student motivation and learning of incorporating pedagogical principles from adult and work-based learning. Using student feedback and teacher reflections, we evaluated three iterative cycles of development from trialling of e-modules in a face-to-face course, to a fully online course, to a blended learning approach with a flipped classroom. We found that student participants were increasingly satisfied over time and conclude that the final course design is the optimal approach for our context. Integrating principles of direct interest from adult learning and involvement of current work supported participant motivation, while self-paced e-modules allowed direct application of new knowledge. Coherence between pre-class, in-class, and post-class activities in the flipped classroom helped ensure relevant learning activities.

Understanding Students’ English-Speaking Difficulties: An Exploratory Practice Approach with Web 2.0

Education literature has advocated the adoption of Exploratory Practice, a form of practitioner research developed for teachers and students to work on local puzzles (what puzzles them in their teaching and learning) for understanding. Despite the popularity of Exploratory Practice in different contexts, there has been little exploration of how Web 2.0 can be employed in Exploratory Practice to enhance language learning and teaching, considering the reality of a digital world for both language teachers and learners. This article bridges this gap by introducing Exploratory Practice with Web 2.0 to a Chinese high school English class, prompted by a teacher's puzzle regarding her students’ English-speaking difficulties. Normal classroom activities were used as data-collection tools. This innovation was found effective in boosting students’ confidence and comfort in speaking English in class and in enhancing teaching and learning experiences. The innovation, therefore, affirms Exploratory Practice as a viable research proposal for practitioners and the value of integrating Web 2.0 with Exploratory Practice to explore issues in language classrooms.

Effects of flipped listening classroom on undergraduate students’ foreign language listening anxiety and willingness to communicate

In a traditional classroom environment, listening comprehension plays a vital role in enabling students to actively participate in the learning process. This is because a significant portion of information is conveyed through the instructor’s explanations and class discussions. Developing strong listening skills can help students effectively understand and participate in classroom activities. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of flipped listening classroom on undergraduate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ foreign language listening anxiety and willingness to communicate. A sample of 46 students at a public university in Iran was chosen to participate in the study using convenience sampling. Implementing a quasi-experimental pretest posttest control group design, two intact classes were randomly assigned to flipped and traditional lecture-based groups. The findings of the study revealed that flipped listening classroom had a positive impact on alleviating foreign language listening anxiety of EFL students and increasing their willingness to communicate. The study has some implications for the material developers, English instructors and students.

Teachers’ Language Use in EFL Classroom Interaction: A Qualitative Study Analysis in Indonesia Settings

This research aims to analyze the classroom language used by a teacher of English department during the learning process. Mastery of a foreign language requires persistent practice and patience among students and teachers. Therefore, languages used in the classroom have a potential to help students produced good communication in the target language. This qualitative study was conducted with 1 male teacher and 22 second grade English major students who were learning writing. Data collection was carried out by observation and interviews both the teacher and 5 sample students and it was analysed with descriptive qualitative techniques. The results showed that the classroom language generally used by the EFL teacher were categorized into several types: instructions, questions, feedback and correction, clasroom management, building rapport, explanations, transitions, and encouragement. While for students, they used language revolved around their interactions within the classroom, both with their peers and teachers. It included phrases and questions that helped them manage their learning experiences, clarify instructions, and participate actively in classroom activities. The results of the analysis are supported by the observation checklists regarding how situations require certain types of language goals. The use of classroom language has different objectives according to the current situation within the scope of learning. The study offers practical recommendations for EFL teachers on how to effectively use different types of language to enhance learning outcomes, such as the strategic use of questions, feedback, and encouragement.

Digital K–12 STEM Education through Human–Robot Interaction: Investigation on Prerequisites

This article aims to explore, investigate, and determine the prerequisites that learners (students) should possess for participating in and being adequately benefitted from digital (robotics-enabled) K–12 STEM education offered through intuitive human–robot interaction. We selected 23 middle school mathematics and science teachers who received training on how to design, develop, and implement robotics-enabled lessons. The teachers then implemented robotics-enabled lessons in actual classroom settings, and separately responded to a survey based on their training, classroom experiences and observations, and self-brainstorming. We derived a set of prerequisite knowledge, skills, and abilities, including their relative importance for the students by analyzing the survey responses. The results showed that the students should not only possess prerequisite knowledge in the subject matter, but also possess behavioral, social, scientific, cognitive, and intellectual skills and abilities to participate in and receive benefits from robotics-enabled human–robot interactive digital STEM education. Out of the many prerequisites, the computational thinking ability of students was identified as one of the most required prerequisites to participate in robotics-enabled digital STEM education. To validate the derived prerequisites, teachers separately assessed the fulfillment of prerequisites by 38 participating students, and the results showed user acceptance, effectiveness, and suitability of the derived prerequisites set. We also identified a set of limitations of the studies and proposed action plans to enable students to meet the prerequisites. The results presented herein can help determine required instructional efforts and scaffolds before implementing robotics-enabled digital STEM lessons, and thus foster incorporating technology-enhanced (robotics-enabled) digital STEM education into K–12 curricula.

MATHEXpress: A Product Development Study of Addition Game Board for Kinder to Grade 1 Learners

This study examines the perspective of experts on the newly developed product addition game board, this study aims to improve the addition skills of learners in kindergarten to grade one in mathematics. It seeks to identify possible improvements in the product. This study utilized a descriptive-qualitative design to gather relevant information from the experts using semi-structured interviews. The respondents of this study are fifteen purposely selected Engineers, Special Education, and General Education Teachers in Cebu. The researchers employed purposive sampling in selecting the respondents. Thematic analysis was used in analyzing the data gathered that resulted in five themes. The result shows that the product can potentially stimulate engagement in teaching number recognition and basic addition skills to kindergarten to grade 1 learners, including those with special needs. However, it may not be suitable for lower-level learners with intellectual disability. Experts' recommendations of this study include: enhancing safety measures, prioritizing cost-effectiveness in material selection, and improving the product's appeal and effectiveness in educational settings through various enhancements like incorporating basic subtraction, adding interactive elements, considering ergonomic design features, correct use of colors and sounds to prevent sensorial discomfort. To expand the product's educational value, the researchers suggest to conduct an in-depth evaluation on its feasibility and effectiveness in actual classroom settings.

What Promotes and Inhibits Sharing of Learning Designs? Teachers’ Perspectives

This article contributes to the research on learning design by examining the collaborative practices among teachers in professional education. The focus extends beyond classroom activities to encompass the sharing and exchange of diverse knowledge, experience and teaching materials. By drawing from experience at a Danish university college, the article emphasizes the need to move beyond the limitations of highly regulated top-down teaching formats. Through the exploration of four selected empirical cases, it highlights the qualifying aspects of sharing practices as perceived by teachers. The article sheds light on the significance of sharing from the teacher’s viewpoint. It underscores the importance of pedagogical autonomy and the discretion of individual teachers supported by a sharing culture where educators are expected to make their materials available to others but also benefit from the resources of others in the community. By combining top-down/bottom-up strategies with degrees of formality, the article shows how both strategies can take place in sharing practices in the same organization and still generate pedagogical autonomy as long as a low degree of formality is maintained.

ECCE Education in the Global context: A Comparative Study of Private And Public ECCE Service Providers in the State of Bihar, India

The right to education of any child born in any country in the world starts from birth. But unfortunately, new UNESCO data shows that one in four children aged 5 never receives any form of pre-primary education (ECCE) in their lifetime. This report represents 35 million of the 137 million 5-year-old children worldwide. Early Childhood Care and Education Despite research proving the benefits of ECCE, only half of the countries worldwide guarantee free pre-primary education. Political will and ownership are vital to transforming the ECCE. The UNESCO review highlights progress in some countries, but much more is needed to successfully strengthen the capacity of these systems. This research has been done in the context of Bihar, India. The objective of this study is to assess the daily classroom activities conducted by private and public service providers of ECCE in Bihar and to identify the differences in various classroom activities and the facilities provided by them. A comparative study was conducted using random sampling to select 100 private and 100 public ECCE service providers across Bihar, India. Data collection involved interviews with teachers at these centers. Descriptive and thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in the interview data regarding daily classroom activities and facilities. In the research, the service systems of most of the private service providers were found to be of high quality, while the public service providers were found to be suffering from various deficiencies in classroom operations. Comparatively, the school service and classroom maintenance systems of private service providers were better than those of public service providers, while both types of service providers were trying their best to conduct ECCE classes. Research studies indicate that the government needs to focus on highlighting the issues related to ECCE and implementing special provisions for it. There is a need for various facilities, new standard norms, and new policies for private and public service providers in this area. The state government needs to take the necessary steps in this area. Through this process, ECCE will be able to develop in its new form. What the country needs most. Keywords: service providers, private, public, standards, norms, provisions, classroom activities, ECCE

As Teachers Not Tourists: Creating Knowledge During a Short-Term Study Abroad Program

Here, I address the call for teacher education programs to feature international elements to help pre-service teachers craft powerful classroom instruction and successfully work with students from culturally diverse backgrounds. I share a qualitative investigation of participants’ experiences during a short-term study abroad program in Japan that explored contemporary disaster preparedness as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The program sponsors, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoped participants would develop an appreciation for the people and culture of Japan while they learned about disaster preparedness. I wondered if collecting curriculum items during a short-term study abroad program could help social studies pre-service teachers create—not just receive—historical domain knowledge? In Japan, participants collected items to use as featured resources around which they designed classroom activities for secondary students. Their activities demonstrated three levels of second-order historical domain knowledge and two elements of civic competence. This study suggests that pre-service teachers with no previous international experience may require explicit modeling and scaffolding to translate their short-term study abroad participation into dynamic learning. Another implication is that participants need strong support to consider the photographs they capture as artifacts of contemporary material culture.

A Survey of Sinological Literacy of College English Majors Under the Background of New Liberal Arts

Under the new circumstances, the world development pattern has undergone rapid changes, and China is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage. To establish a good national image under the background of globalization, higher requirements are put forward for English majors to improve their Sinological literacy. Based on the background of the new liberal arts, the author takes English majors in Chongqing Normal University as the research subject. And combines domestic and foreign research results to study the current situation of Sinological literacy through questionnaires, interviews, and literature research. The questions consists of 4 dimensions (Sinological knowledge, Sinological competence, Sinological spirits, and Sinological emotions.) and 53 questions. The research questions are: (1) What is the status quo and problems of English majors' Sinological literacy in Chongqing Normal University? (2) What are the causes leading to students' lack of Sinological literacy? (3) What measures are offered to improve Sinological literacy? The paper founds that students majoring in English lack knowledge related to sinology. They are confused about the Sinological spirit and have weak competencies. By interviewing, the paper found 4 reasons that may explained it: (1) Students lack interest and incentive to learn Sinology. (2) There are few qualified teachers who are equipped with abundant Sinology. (3)Students prefer fragmented knowledge than Sinology due to the era of multimedia. (4) English majors are more likely to be influenced by Western culture if they`re not guided correctly. Through literature research, the paper also raises some measures:(1) Establish the correct concept, the school should add the corresponding subjects. (2) Strengthen teachers' character. (3)Make full use of the rich activities in the second classroom .(4)Build campus culture full of Sinological elements. The author analyzes the result of the investigation case and gives some corresponding countermeasures to solve the problem, in order to provide suggestions for the Sinological literacy cultivation of college English majors and hopes that schools can train more talents for English majors to communicate with other cultures.

Investigating Chinese university students’ foreign language enjoyment and anxiety in the EFL class

Abstract Emotion research in second language acquisition has flourished under the growing influence of Positive Psychology in recent years. The present study focuses on foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA) of 263 Chinese undergraduates in relation to learner variables as well as the sources of enjoyment and anxiety in the English class. Surveys with scales and open-ended questions were applied to collect data. Quantitative analysis revealed that learner variables, such as participants’ gender and their year of university, affected their FLCA but not FLE, while participants’ perception of their English levels was significantly linked to both FLE and FLCA. Furthermore, the uniqueness of Chinese FL learners’ FLE and FLCA was uncovered from participants’ narratives of their emotional experiences in College English class. The results of open-ended questions clarified that interesting teaching content, students’ good performance and progress, and well-designed classroom activities were effective boosters for foreign language (FL) learners’ enjoyment. Moreover, public speaking, the teacher’s random call, and peer pressure were closely related to spikes in students’ in-class anxiety. This study concluded with implications for EFL teaching, along with directions for further research.

Teachers’ attitudes towards information communication technology use in EFL teaching at primary schools in Vietnam – A pilot study

One of the main goals set by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) for the 2022-2025 period is to extensively revamp Vietnam’s educational system in a way that teaching and learning in a digital environment plays a fundamental role in daily classroom activities. The present study aims to pilot the instrument developed by Christensen and Knezek (2009) to measure teachers’ attitudes towards computers and to examine EFL teachers’ attitudes toward ICT use at primary schools in Vietnam. To achieve the aims of the research, 202 EFL teachers were randomly recruited to complete the 73-item questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated to examine the reliability of the instrument. In addition, several further analyses were conducted to explore teachers’ attitudes towards ICT use in EFL teaching. The findings suggest that the instrument is adequate, reliable, and valid, and that EFL teachers revealed strong interest, low anxiety, low avoidance, and high awareness of the usefulness of ICT use in teaching as well as its role in young learners’ language development. The results showed that teaching experience and job status impact EFL teachers’ attitudes towards ICT use while age and school locations do not. Future research is encouraged to clarify teachers’ neutral attitudes towards online interaction as well as their ignorance regarding the negative impacts of ICT use.

A SPEECH ACTS ANALYSIS OF TEACHERS' TALK IN ENGLISH FOR YOUNG LEARNERS CLASS

The aims of this research are to know the types of speech acts performed by English teachers when talking in the classroom and the teacher's reason for using the most specific kind of speech act. This research used a qualitative research design because the classroom activity became the data source. The participant of this research was 1 English teacher in English Club at SDIT Cordova. The data was collected through observation and interviews. The data was analyzed through four steps: classifications, data reduction, data display, and verification/conclusion drawing. According to the findings, the data showed 71% of the talk used directive. Teachers utilize directive types because they are interested in their students' competencies, whether or not their teachings have been comprehended, and whether or not students can recognize examples of the material they have been given. Meanwhile, the opposite result displayed in the data is declarative. Moreover, the finding also showed that the Teacher produced other speech acts such as assertive, commissive, and expressive. The teacher uses speech acts to ensure that the teaching and learning process runs smoothly and the material is well received by the students.

VIDEO BLOGGING: A PEDAGOGICAL MEDIA TO IMPROVE SPEAKING SKILL

Technology is considered as a learning assistant that can be used to improve speaking skills. In this paper, the researcher tried to enhance students’ speaking skills using English video blogging. The purposes of this research were to know how students’ perception of the use of English video blogging in speaking skills and to what extent video blogging improves students’ speaking skills. This study was done in one High school at Tangerang- Banten with 25 students in Grade XI. This study is a qualitative design with descriptive analysis in interpreting data, in data collection, the researcher used an observation (participatory observation) and depth interview with the participants. The result shows that students’ perceptions of the use of English video blogging to improve speaking skills are good and successful, and it can be seen about 80 % of the participant are having a good improvement in speaking ability. And the rest of them still feel lack confidence and fluency in speaking. Finally, the use of video blogging in classroom activities gives a good impact on students’ speaking skills.

Designer's log in planning the development of comics with socioscientific issues content: Case studies

The development of learning media research evolves rapidly in design-based research (DBR). However, most of the research in this area concentrated on media implementation and media format. In this paper, we explain one side rarely discussed: the process of designing media pre-implementation. This research uses the designer’s log as core data that notes the essential things during the discussion between media designers and practitioners. This study depicts two case studies when researchers (as media designers) and teachers (as practitiones) were developing comics with socioscientific issues (SSI) content. This research employed a case studies approach, using the designer’s log in three meetings with teachers. The data analysis of the designer’s log focused on three criteria: analysis, comics-building, and teaching activities development. The main themes identified as results in this study were the student experience in comics, previous content related to SSI, comics form, SSI content in comics, and classroom activities. This study also presented designer log examples highlighting our discussion with teachers to explain teachers’ consideration in designing comics with SSI content. From this study, we offer recommendations, especially regarding DBR. Firstly, future researchers need to be aware not only of the final DBR product but also of the product design process; secondly, in preparing media (in this paper, comics), determining content needs to be considered together between designers and teachers from student conditions, culture, and school background.

The Influence of Pre-school Literacy Preparation Studies on Primary School Literacy Instruction

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of literacy preparation activities conducted during the pre-school period on primary school literacy instruction from the perspective of classroom teachers. The design of the study was determined as a case study, which is one of the qualitative research types. The research group was determined through purposive sampling. In order to ensure maximum diversity, interviews were conducted with a total of 14 teachers, consisting of one male and one female from each of Türkiye seven regions. Considering the aim of the study, it was taken into account that teachers should have experience in literacy instruction. Therefore, teachers who had conducted teaching activities in first grade elementary school classrooms for at least three times were included in the study. A semi-structured interview form was used as the data collection tool in the research. The interviews were analyzed using a data analysis software. As a result of the analyses, 4 themes, 13 categories, and 58 codes were identified. According to the findings of the study, the teachers believe that literacy preparation activities conducted during the pre-school period have a positive impact on primary school. It is also among the general opinions of those teachers that literacy preparation activities are more effective and functional in pre-school compared to previous years. The classroom teachers expressed that pre-school teachers should not deviate from the curriculum, and teaching literacy in pre-school may lead to some difficulties in primary school. Finally, the classroom teachers believe that beyond academic skills, imparting social adjustment and self-regulation skills to children during pre-school is more crucial for readiness in primary school.