Curriculum Instruction Research Articles

Current and Future Directions for School Media Specialists

School media specialists have served as technological experts for their schools and have been pioneers with digital natives, helping create good digital citizens and addressing digital gaps for learners and advocate for access no matter what barriers students face. School of Library and Information Science programs have focused on creating a curriculum that will help create a school technology expert for every school library. This served schools well during the COVID-19 shutdowns, where the school had to find new ways for students to learn remotely.School media specialists have now become the target of hate in their schools. This has become increasingly complicated with states legislating what can be put in school libraries and how teachers can address historical events. School media specialists are required to make decisions on access or potentially losing their jobs. While these are important areas, they are just a small part of the job for school media specialists. The American Association of School Librarians has increased the expected role for school media specialists, having them often serve as teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator, all in addition to serving as the expert technologist at their school. However, not all school media programs take this approach to pedagogy for school media.School media specialists create technological opportunities for schools and are a key source for teachers seeking to reach students with diverse learning styles while informing and building relationships with families on internet safety and other important topics. Teachers depend on school media specialists to provide resources and support for the classroom while school media specialists also support students’ intellectual freedom. Ultimately, the focus for school media specialists has been to try to create a school library that represents everyone’s values. While this sounds ideal, it has been a difficult road for the profession.The position of school media specialist has changed dramatically over the last four years. This panel seeks to address research contributions to scholarship on school media specialists and how Schools of Library and Information Science are changing their programs to prepare school media specialists for the workforce. There will be a moderator and a panel comprised of four faculty members who are educators, practitioners, and researchers specializing in school media. Their perspectives and expertise will be present in this discussion, along with the following discussion topics:What are your current research findings telling you?What are practitioners experiencing?What is working with educational pedagogy in school media?What is not working with educational pedagogy in school media?What new technologies have you incorporated into the curriculum?What changes are being made at Schools of Information Science programs to help ready students for the current environment?The panel will explore questions of education, research, and practitioner-based experiences to address concerns impacting school media specialists. The information will inform the future discussion and curriculum pedagogy for school media specialists. The panel discussion will be formatted around the expertise of the faculty with school media. These discussions will inform pedagogical teaching practices in school media programs and hopefully provide a framework for improvement.

Transitioning to Private Dental Practice: An In-depth Exploration of Dental Graduates' Perspectives in Saudi Arabia.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery program meet the qualifications set by Saudi universities and pass the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties License Examination to practice dentistry. However, ambiguity persists concerning their preparedness for private dentistry. This study explored how dental graduates perceive their readiness to operate in the private sector. A qualitative study was conducted by interviewing dental graduates from different dental schools across Saudi Arabia using a semistructured interview guide with convenience sampling until thematic saturation was achieved. All interviews were verbatim transcribed and analyzed manually by two researchers working independently using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach. A total of 35 participants from Saudi dental schools across five distinct regions (North, South, East, West, and Central) were included in the study. Data analysis revealed four prominent themes believed to influence participants' readiness for private practice: (1) communication skills-concerns regarding proficiency in areas crucial for ensuring patient satisfaction, (2) technical management skills-uncertainty in aspects such as practice setup and dental insurance, (3) pedagogical curriculum design-primarily tailored to public sector roles, and (4) legal and ethical issues-concerns about legal and ethical issues intrinsic to dental practice. The transition of Saudi dental graduates into private practice is influenced by multiple obstacles, encompassing factors related to their knowledge and skills in patient communication, technical management, education curriculum design, and familiarity with legal intricacies. Exploring dental graduates' perceptions in relation to private practice is clinically significant as it highlights specific areas, including communication skills, where effective communication with both children and parents is paramount in private dentistry; technical management; curriculum adaptation; and legal/ethical awareness, where targeted interventions can enhance the quality and safety of dental care provided in private practice. These insights can lead to improvements in dental education and practice management, ultimately benefiting both dentists and patients in the private dental sector. Moafa I, Jafer A, Almashnawi M, et al. Transitioning to Private Dental Practice: An In-depth Exploration of Dental Graduates' Perspectives in Saudi Arabia. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(7):777-782.

Business education and its paradoxes: Linking business and biodiversity through critical pedagogy curriculum

AbstractThe Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, launched during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in December 2022, encourages governments, companies and investors to publish data on their nature‐related risks, dependencies and impacts. These disclosures are intended to drive businesses to recognise, manage and mitigate their reliance on ecosystem goods and services. However, there is a ‘biodiversity blind spot’ that is evident for most organisations and business schools. Business education rarely addresses the root causes of biodiversity loss, such as the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. As the dominant positioning of Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDG) presents biodiversity in anthropocentric instrumental terms inadequate for addressing ecosystem decline, we posit that a more progressive and transformative ecocentric education through ecopedagogy and ecoliteracy is needed. Both approaches include the development of critical thinking about degrowth, the circular economy and conventional stakeholder theory to include non‐human stakeholders. Using comparative case studies from Northumbria University, the University of Hong Kong and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, we illustrate how business education can be transformed to address biodiversity loss, providing theoretical guidance and practical recommendations to academic practitioners and future business leaders.

READINESS OF PEDIATRICIANS TO FORM A VALUE ATTITUDE OF PATIENTS TO THEIR HEALTH

Background. At present, the Russian state, medical and educational communities are concerned about the health of the younger generation. In this regard, at the stage of training pediatricians in residency, there is a very acute issue related to the search for approaches, means and methods of training that contribute to the formation of the readiness of such specialists to carry out psychological and pedagogical activities and solve pedagogical problems, in the process of professional medical activity, one of which is the education of the value attitude of children to their own health. From 2022 to 2023 academic year, an experimental study was conducted at the Faculty of Retraining and Continuing Professional Education at the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, aimed at to studying evaluate the pediatrician's level of psychological and pedagogical knowledge formation and pedagogical skills which are related to their readiness to the psychological and pedagogical type of activity and the solution of pedagogical problems in medical practice. Purpose. To identify changes in the state of psychological and pedagogical knowledge and the motivational orientation of pediatricians to the formation of the value attitude of patients to health during the experimental work, conditioned by the contextual approach to the study of the discipline "Pedagogy". Materials and methods. The study involved 300 first-year pediatricians with an average age of 25.48±2.03 years, including 233 women and 67 men. All respondents were divided into two groups (150 people each) – the main group and the control group – according to the criterion of participation in the experimental work, which involved the use of a contextual approach in the process of studying the discipline of the Pedagogy curriculum. Residents agreed to conduct research procedures. In advance, the authors of the article received permission from the Local Ethics Committee of the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University to organize an experimental study. The methodology of the study consisted of adapted questionnaires and questionnaires. The followingstatistical methods were used: Wilcoxon T-test (for related samples); the analysis of correlations between the studied parameters was carried out using the C. Spearman criterion. The calculation of the results was carried out using the application package of the program "IBM SPSS Statistics 27". Results. Experimental research work has revealed changes in the level of formation of psychological and pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical skills that ensure the readiness of pediatricians to carry out psychological and pedagogical activities in the process of medical practice and to solve the pedagogical problem aimed at educating the value attitude of patients to their own health. Conclusions. The results of the experimental study indicate the need to use a contextual approach in the process of training pediatricians for psychological and pedagogical activities, and as a didactic means of teaching - medical and pedagogical situations recreated or modeled by specialists.

Harmonizing the BCG model with logic of curriculum and maxims of teaching for maximizing effective teaching-learning

The Bio-Circular Green Economy Model introduced by Thailand aims to create a sustainable, inclusive society, economy and environment, through application of science, technology and innovation, using Thailand’s comparative advantage in biological and cultural diversity into competitive advantage. The importance of BCG model encompasses every country that aims to thrive through a culture of equity, inclusion and sustainability. India being one such country which does have a comparative advantage of cultural and environmental diversity, there lies need to promote equity, inclusion, innovation, economic and cultural responsiveness in its society. Educational scenario in India had showcased teachers as entities who tend to control the students and pour knowledge into them. The primary goal of every teaching learning process is maximum outcome of learning which includes behaviour modification, and therefore the maxims of teaching are the general principles which guides every teacher to manage their classroom effectively, with maximum participation of learners, invocation of sustainability and inclusiveness, as well as self-motivated learning taking place. An effective teacher is a facilitator, who uses the maxims to maximize the learning outcome keeping the outcome in congruence with the BCG Model. National Education Policy 2020 has laid down various pedagogical strategies that suits the logic of the curriculum structure. The logic is based on psychological aspects of growth and development. Hence, this study aims at seeking a relation between BCG Model and logic of Curriculum Instruction to intensify the learning outcome through application of Maxims of Teaching within the classroom by adopting thematic analysis.

Demystifying Classroom Assessment: Unleashing the Power of Technology Tools

Background: Technology is a tool for instruction, not a replacement for teachers. Teachers are crucial for our nation's future and are essential implementers and integrators of technology in classrooms. They are responsible for innovative use of technology, as it enhances efficiency and effectiveness in everyday life. ICT comprehensively combines computer and telecommunication technology. Aim: They are also commonly used for the certification of competence, to monitor educational standards, and to provide learners with feedback. The qualitative aspect of assessment and evaluation in the field of education has a cutting-edge relationship with students’ academics. Method: Teachers no doubt are saddled with many responsibilities which range from writing lesson plans and notes to instructional delivery and assessment. Hence there is a need for teachers to span to the innovation technology is offering by embracing technological-based assessment. This paper explored the roles of technology in bridging the gap between the paper-pencil assessment to technology-enhanced assessment and proffered strategies on how these assessment apps can be used in the classroom. The study revealed that there are free assessment applications teachers can use to grade students, thereby reducing their workloads. It was therefore recommended among others that training and seminars should be organised for teachers to enlighten them on technology-based assessment. Result and Discussions: Teachers need to take cognizance of the relevancy of the technological tools. It was further pointed out that while observing the relevance of the technology resources, there should be congruence between the tech tools and instructional curriculum. Other factors to be considered are the; appropriateness of the content and alignment with the learning goals. Teachers need to have clear-cut goals before selecting any technology for assessment. Among the common goals to be considered are; efficiency, cost, end-user proficiency, collaboration, and capacity. Conclusıon: Assessment is vital to the education process. Online assessment can help learners engage more effectively and flexibly in knowledge and can help teachers manage assessment more proficiently and efficiently.

The Effects of a Direct Instruction Curriculum Sequence on the Reading Comprehension Responses of Early Readers

Reading comprehension is critical for early learners’ academic success. Derived relations are an important feature of reading comprehension within the science of behavior because reading comprehension involves experientially acquired derived stimulus relations (Helou-Care, 2008; Neves in Behavioral Interventions 38:376–400, 2023, Park, 2005; da Silva in Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin 24:1–8, 2006). That is, derived relations pertain to a learner demonstrating comprehension by making untrained connections to previously trained stimuli (e.g., words). For example, a learner who is trained that “kitten” is a type of “cat” and that all “cats meow” should then be able to demonstrate the untrained connection that “kittens meow.” The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Corrective Reading Comprehension (CR) curriculum, which employs an instructional sequence involving derived relations, on reading comprehension responses entailing derived relations. Four typically developing first-grade students were the participants in this study and the students were divided into two dyads. The principal researcher instructed each dyad on each of the five lessons of CR until mastery was obtained and then conducted postprobes on the dependent measures that were metaphors, derived relations from sentences, derived relations from letters/numbers, and implicit/explicit comprehension questions. The researchers used a delayed multiple probe design across 1st-grade dyads to assess the effect of five CR lessons on derived relations and reading comprehension responses of the participants. Posttest assessments showed gains for all four participants. The article concludes with a discussion of the main findings, implications for future research, and the limitations of this study.

Exploring the Role of Religious Studies in Developing Moral Values among Secondary Schools Learners in the Northern Region of Lesotho

Similar to many other countries, Lesotho has experienced growing concerns regarding moral decay among youth in recent years. This concern could be attributed to various factors, such as rapid socio-economic changes, advancements in technology, and shifting societal norms. Consequently, negative consequences have arisen, including drug abuse, disrespect for constituted authority, and disengagement from academics among learners. The study therefore intents to explore the efficacy of religious studies in addressing moral erosion and developing ethical behaviour to ensure its effective implementation and impact. This study adopts the Cognitive Dissonance Theory as a framework to investigate the potential of religious studies in secondary schools as a means to develop ethical behaviour and address the increase in moral decay among learners. Through purposive sampling, six teachers from six member schools of the religious studies association in the northern region of Lesotho were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study indicate that moral decay among learners is primarily influenced by factors such as poverty, lack of parental guidance, limited access to education, and dysfunctional family structures. Furthermore, the study reveals that religious studies content and various teaching approaches have the potential to cultivate moral values and counteract moral decadence among learners. The study recommends that teachers receive continuous professional development and support to enhance their pedagogical skills in effectively delivering moral education through religious studies. Moral instruction curriculum rather than religious studies curriculum should be introduced. The curriculum should accommodate all religions’ moral precepts.

University lecturers’ lived experiences of teaching critical thinking in Australian university: a hermeneutic phenomenological research

AbstractThe study explores insights into the phenomenon of Australian lecturers’ lived experiences of teaching standalone critical thinking units within associate degree courses at one university in Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. The study makes an original contribution by focusing upon the experiences of teaching staff in Australian universities in relation to teaching critical thinking, particularly from a Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenological and Gadamerian hermeneutic theoretical and conceptual framework. At present, there are no unified methods, frameworks, or models of teaching critical thinking in Australian higher education. This problem for lecturers is an important aspect of a university education that is not well understood. This is a global educational issue and is a matter of teaching and learning concern worldwide in tertiary education (e.g. United States of America, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK). Although, several studies have been conducted on teaching critical thinking from the perspective of university lecturers. There is limited research that focus on teaching staff in Australian universities’ experience with teaching critical thinking that has used Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenology and Gadamer’s hermeneutic circle, interpretive approach in gathering data. Using interviews, data is conducted with three first-year undergraduate Australian university Ph.D. lecturers. During the analysis of the empirical data, three themes were significant in revealing the key findings: (a) Dwelling; (b) Sorge, and (c) Concern. The comprehensive understanding of the results was that the challenges university lecturers faced in developing students to thinking critically provided new pedagogical curriculum insights for the teaching and learning of a standalone critical thinking unit within the associate degree course.

Factors Affecting Sustainability-Related Career Expectations among Engineering Undergraduates in China: An Empirical Study Based on a Modified College Impact Model.

The international engineering education community has reached a consensus regarding the need to enhance engineering students' awareness of and capability to provide sustainable services in their future careers. Based on a modified college impact model, this study analyzed the impacts of curricular emphasis, curricular instruction, and sustainability-related career self-efficacy on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students and investigated the moderating effects of gender on the relationships among the research variables. The results show that both curricular emphasis and curricular instruction have direct positive effects on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students; sustainability-related career self-efficacy plays a partial mediating role in this process; and gender significantly moderates the influence of curricular emphasis and curricular instruction on sustainability-related career expectations. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence that can be used by higher education institutions and engineering educators to enhance the belief of engineering students in their ability to solve sustainability-related issues in their future careers and promote the diversification of engineering education.

Readiness for Autonomy Among CFL Learners: A Malaysian Perspective

Learner autonomy is paramount in 21st-century education, representing a crucial qualification for lifelong learning. In the area of Chinese as a second/foreign language (CSL/CFL), it is also an important objective of curriculum instruction. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on learner autonomy in a wide range of cultural contexts and distinct domains of language use, especially in the context of CFL. This study aims to scrutinize the readiness for autonomy of CFL learners within the Malaysian settings. The research utilized a quantitative approach to analyze the data. A closed-ended questionnaire survey was conducted with 600 participants. Specifically, the data were synthesized through descriptive statistical analysis to concretely consider the respondents' readiness for learner autonomy in terms of perception of responsibility, assessment of ability, and engagement in the activities in Chinese learning. Findings indicated that Malaysian CFL learners demonstrated a medium readiness for autonomy in Chinese learning. While participants exhibit a relatively high perception of responsibility for autonomous learning, their ability to assess autonomy in decision-making within Chinese learning is somewhat unsatisfactory. Additionally, they express less enthusiasm about engaging in autonomous learning activities inside and outside the classroom. The current study illuminates theoretical and practical dimensions concerning the readiness for autonomy in Chinese learning among Malaysian CFL learners. Moreover, it is anticipated to offer implications for further studies on autonomy development among CFL learners in analogous contexts.

“It Scared the Crap Out of Me”: Taking Risks and Talking About Race in a Principal Preparation Course

University faculty have fixated on ways to adequately prepare social justice-oriented school leaders for quite some time. This teacher action research project documents the experiences of 14 aspiring school leaders in a principal preparation course focused on a critical race pedagogy curriculum. Using interview data, this qualitative study examines how white and Latinx students experience coursework grounded in the notion of risk-taking rather than safety. Findings from this study illustrate the following: (A) participants most resistant to the curriculum entered coursework having internalized dominant ideologies regarding merit and achievement; (B) these same students had adverse views regarding their critically conscious classmates and instructor; and lastly (C) all participants in this study demonstrated growth in their thinking regarding racial justice and educational equity. The discussion and implications address the nuances and complexities of promoting a pedagogy framed as risk-taking in preparation programs, particularly in mixed-race settings.

Research on Curriculum Reform of English Pedagogy in Colleges and Universities Under the Background of the New Era

With the fast development of our country’s social economy, higher education faces the essential task of cultivating talents with international competitive power. English is a common language of international communication and its status in higher education is particularly important. However, the traditional English teaching model is unable to meet the needs of talent training in the new era. Therefore, it is of great significance to research the reform of college English pedagogy curriculum. This paper takes the college English pedagogy curriculum in the new era as the research object, analyzes its current situation and existing problems, and puts forward corresponding reform strategies.

Impact of NEP 2020 on the Tourism Sector of M.P. through Higher Education Programme

The National Education Policy (NEP) of India launched in 2020 has generated significant discussions on the changes needed in the higher education system of the country to transform India into a knowledge-based economy, NEP proposes several reforms in the education sector including changes in curriculum pedagogy and assessment methods. One important aspect of any NEP is its potential impact on various industries, particularly the tourism sector and if the things are recollected then its experience is based on previous education policies, the focus of higher education was more on creating knowledge societies, thereafter stress shifted on balancing the knowledge content with real life requirement of skills to make the students of higher education system more employable as skill development and education is the need of the hour. In NEP 2020 various strategies are also mentioned for the proper implementation of tourism education by way of enhancing collaboration with industry, internship programs, inculcating major skills, developing technology within the curriculum, and many more but there are various issues in implementing NEP. This paper focuses on understanding the implementation of NEP in the context of tourism education and vocational education in the tourism sector specifically and skill-based vocational education in general in the higher education system of India through quantitative research methods. This research provides valuable insights for stakeholders in the higher education and tourism sectors on the impact of NEP implementation on the tourism industry in M.P.

Confidence of implementation of new BSND curriculum among program administrators and faculty

The curriculum has been developed and implemented in accordance with the regulatory guidelines set by the Commission on Higher Education. This ensures that the education provided to students in the field of nutrition and dietetics meets the expected standards and quality benchmarks, ultimately benefiting the students and the field. The purpose of this study was to assess the confidence of implementation of the new nutrition and dietetics curriculum as evaluated by the program administrators and the faculty. The program administrators (n = 5) and faculty (n = 37) were taken from 4 randomly sampled higher education institution in Mindanao, Philippines. There were 7 metrics developed in this study used to evaluate the confidence of the participants based on the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memo Order No. 14, series of 2017. The participants were highly confident that the new curriculum adhered to the mandates stipulated in the order. Among the 7 metrics, the participants were highly confident on the curriculum instruction and admission of students while improvements shall be done on facilities and library resources. The findings have important impacts on higher education as it highlighted the necessary areas to be improved and focused. Professional development also mediated the confidence of the participants showing those with higher education, i.e., master’s and doctorate level, were more confident on instruction, faculty, internship, admission, and facilities available in the new curriculum. The confidence of the participants evaluated the status of the implementation indicating positive direction and further development of facilities and academic resources.

A design-based implementation study of a preschool Spanish/English multi-tiered language curriculum / Estudio de implementación basada en el diseño de un currículum preescolar multinivel inglés/español

Implementation considerations should be integrated into the iterative development of educational innovations. The purpose of this design-based implementation research (DBIR) was to identify intervention components worthy of revision, examine the feasibility of a video manual and document barriers to the implementation of a multi-tiered dual-language instructional curriculum. Six teachers implemented the curriculum and provided feedback via structured interviews. Although four of the six teachers reported the intervention to be highly feasible, multi-tiered instruction did not align with the beliefs of two teachers. Teachers’ feedback combined with child-level narrative and vocabulary outcomes led to curriculum revisions and to the creation of additional implementation supports. Findings suggest system-level barriers influence the sustainability of multi-tiered instruction in early childhood settings.

THE EFFECT OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AND PROJECTBASED FLIPPED CLASSROOM ON CRITICAL THINKING AND CREATIVITY FOR BUSINESS ENGLISH COURSE AT HIGHER VOCATIONAL COLLEGES

Purpose – With the evolving demands of the global and Chinese economies, cultivating critical thinking and creativity has become imperative for social and economic development. However, contemporary educational practices have not kept pace with thisessential need. This study examines the effects of project-based learning and project-based flipped classrooms on critical thinking and creativity in higher vocational colleges. Moreover, this research delves into the disparity and comparative analysis between the twoapproaches. Methodology – A between-group quasi-experimental study was designed. Data were collected from 120 respondents from one highervocational college in Shanxi District using cluster sampling. The Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking test and District creativity test wereused to collect data for further analysis. Data were analysed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and paired-sample t-test. Pairedsample t-tests are employed to test the effects of two teaching methods, while ANCOVA is used to compare the discrepancy between the two methods. With the combination of paired sample t-test and ANCOVA, the more effective teaching method can be determined. Findings – The results indicated that project-based learning and flipped classrooms significantly affected critical thinking and creativity. Besides, the project-based flipped classrooms had a larger effect on critical thinking and creativity, proving to be a more effective teaching approach to transform the present curriculum pedagogy. Significance – This study theoretically integrates class activities into higher-order thinking skills and guides teachers and educators tocultivate talents in higher vocational education.

Effectiveness of Social Studies Curriculum Instruction on Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour of Junior Secondary Students in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State

Objectives: The increasing number of children between the ages of 11-14 becoming mothers is expanding the rate of out of school going- children in Nigeria. This phenomenon was hitherto synonymous with the northern part of the country but today, is gradually submerging the serenity of Cross River State education system. However, Social Studies was introduced into the Nigerian school system as a corrective subject to address some of the social vices in the society. Hence, the need to assess its effectiveness in relation to some common social vices among in-school adolescent. The study evaluates the effectiveness of Social Studies curriculum instruction on adolescent risky sexual behaviour of junior secondary two students in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State. Method: The researchers adopted the correlational survey research design. The population consists of 21 public junior secondary schools with 15,739 students and 48 Social Studies teachers in Calabar Municipal. 243 students and 17 teachers Social Studies responded to Social Studies Curriculum Instruction and Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire (SSCIARSBQ) and Social Studies Curriculum Instruction Evaluation for Adolescent Risky Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire (SSCIEARSBQ)”. In the data analysis, mean and standard deviation was employed to answer all the research questions while the hypothesis formulated was tested using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) statistic. Results: The research finding revealed that both students and teachers are of the opinion that drug abuse, poor societal values, multi-sex partners, poor parental upbringing and peer influence are causes of adolescents’ indulgement in risky sexual behaviours. Conclusion: Social Studies curriculum at the junior secondary two level effectively address the issues of risky sexual behaviour and that there is a significant relationship between JSS II Social Studies curriculum effectiveness and students’ knowledge of risky sexual behaviour in Calabar Municipality.

Digital Intelligent Innovative Teaching Mode of Curriculum Civics and Politics Integration

Abstract The primary objective of Civics education in higher education institutions is to guide students toward acquiring appropriate political identities and values. To achieve this, we advocate for the incorporation of a knowledge-tracking model in Civics curriculum instruction, highlighting that the practical application of in-depth knowledge tracking manifests throughout the educational process. Addressing the challenges inherent in the Civic Politics teaching model that integrates knowledge tracking, we propose solutions focused on the dimensions of student performance behavior and learning capabilities within the Civic Politics course. This involves the use of clustering grouping and attention mechanisms to refine the construction of the knowledge tracking model for Civics teaching. Building on this foundation, we define the research subjects and tools and provide an illustrative case study of the implemented knowledge-tracking model in Civic Politics education. The results are presented in terms of t-value and p-value, political identity (t=-6.351, p=0.009), moral quality (t=-4.528, p=0.002), and learning interest (t=-4.444, p=0.005), the p-value is less than the critical value of 0.05, and all three have significant differences. This study can effectively improve students’ political identity, moral quality, and learning interest, and promote digital innovation and the development of college curriculum in Civics.

The Contribution of Preschool Teacher Education Program in Equipping Teachers with Indicators of Relevant Curriculum in Ethiopia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of Teacher Education Program in equipping preschool teachers with some indicators of relevant curriculum practice as guiding principles of development and learning, appropriate curriculum, learning cycles, and fit methods of instruction and assessment means for children in Ethiopia. A survey method was employed in conducting the study. The data for the study were collected from 221 teacher-trainees using questionnaires of rating scale with open-ended questions and five trainers using interview questions. The data were analysed using frequency, percentage, and sums. The data from survey questionnaire indicated that the contribution of Teacher Education Program in acquainting trainees with guiding principles of child development and learning, developmentally appropriate curriculum, learning cycles of children, fit methods of instruction and assessment means for children did not get high level of agreement from the respondents. The data from interview and open ended questions revealed obstacles as lack of qualified teachers, unsuitable curriculum materials, difficult courses, negative attitude to the profession, time shortage and absence of centres for skills development in the training program. Measures useful for alleviating problems were also indicated parallel to the problems.