Education Stakeholders Research Articles

Examining differences in teachers’ agricultural mechanics professional development needs: A national study

Agriculture teachers need knowledge and skills in a range of agricultural mechanics topics, such as metal fabrication and power mechanics. Teacher professional development (PD) is one method for improving teacher competence. Both Sorensen et al. (2014) and Yopp et al. (2020) reported differences in teachers’ PD needs based on years of teaching experience. Could their findings be consistent on a national level? Moreover, do other teacher demographic factors such as teacher certification route and career phase yield differences in teachers’ agricultural mechanics PD needs? Using human capital theory as our guiding framework, the purpose of our study was to examine potential differences in teachers’ agricultural mechanics PD needs based on selected teacher demographic factors. We employed Borich’s (1980) needs assessment model to structure our study. Further, we used a valid and reliable 72-item instrument and followed Dillman et al.’s (2014) recommendations to collect data from a random sample of teachers from across the United States. One hundred teachers responded to our instrument, yielding a response rate of 27.5%. We found that: (1) there were no statistically significant difference in teachers’ agricultural mechanics PD needs based on teacher certification route and (2) there were statistically significant differences in teachers’ agricultural mechanics PD needs based on career phase. We recommend that Agricultural Education stakeholders facilitate career phase-differentiated PD opportunities for teachers. Doing so will help to positively impact the teacher competence development process for those who most need it.

Nexus between Personal Factors and Practice of Self-Medication among Primary School Teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to examine the nexus between personal factors and the practice of self-medication among primary school teachers in Oyo State. Five hundred participants constituted the study’s sample out of which only 476 were used after data administration. Both the independent and dependent variables were measured with validated instruments with 0.85 reliability co-efficient and the data obtained was analyzed using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) Statistical method. Two research hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The result showed that there was a significant relationship between poverty and the practice of self-medication among primary school teachers (r= .823; p<0.05) as well as between illiteracy and the practice of self-medication among primary school teachers (r= .643; p<0.05). The implication of this showed that poverty and illiteracy level had significant impacts on the practice of self-medication among primary school teachers. In view of these findings, it was recommended that educational stakeholders should frequently organize seminars and workshops for primary school teachers, especially in rural areas on the dangers of self-medication.

Visions and missions: Stance in the marketisation discourse of selected Ghanaian universities

A key manifestation of market forces permeating higher education is the marketised discourse in universities’ vision and mission statements, promoting institutional brands and offerings. This study set out to explore how 59 Ghanaian universities marketise themselves in their vision and mission statements. Drawing on critical discourse analysis (CDA) and a metadiscourse model of stance, a textual analysis revealed six key marketisation strategies: (1) trumpeting excellence, global aspirations and partnerships; (2) highlighting niche specialisations; (3) declaring commitment to knowledge creation and dissemination; (4) pledging positive societal impact: (5) promising holistic and quality education; (6) emphasising ethical, value-based education. In comparison with the public universities, the private and technical universities adopted a more assertive marketing language replete with boosters, attitude markers and hedging expressions. Thus, the identified discoursal differences align with university types and market orientations. These findings offer important implications for higher education development, policy-making of educational stakeholders and further research.

Analysis of the Effect of School Counseling Services, Social Support, and Learning Motivation on Academic Achievement of Junior High School Students in West Java

This quantitative study investigated the effect of school counseling services, social support, and learning motivation on the academic achievement of junior high school students in West Java, Indonesia. Data were collected from 120 students using standardized surveys, and structural equation modeling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares regression (PLS) was used for data analysis. The results showed a significant positive relationship between school counseling services, social support, learning motivation, and academic achievement. Specifically, school counseling services, social support, and learning motivation were found to positively predict academic achievement among junior high school students. In addition, mediation analysis revealed the indirect effects of these factors on academic achievement through intermediate variables. These findings highlight the importance of a comprehensive support system in driving student success and have implications for education stakeholders looking to improve academic outcomes in West Java and beyond.

Techniques Used by Primary Teachers when Using English as Medium of Instruction in Rubavu District, Rwanda

Rwanda is an endoglossic country where Kinyarwanda is the first language and mother tongue of Rwandans. Since English was implemented as Medium of instruction (MoI), most teachers with Kinyarwanda and French background get challenges due to teaching in a new language. They had a lower level of proficiency in English and shortage of teaching resources. This study aimed at investigating techniques used by Primary teachers when teaching in English as MoI and its impacts on learners’ academic performance of many other subjects which are taught through English. The study was conducted in Rubavu District, Rwanda. The entire target population was 300 people comprised of teachers and head teachers. The researchers sampled 62 persons. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample 10 primary schools according to their geographical location and 10 head teachers respectively. The selection of teachers used stratified sampling technique for 52 teachers, where two strata were considered namely new teachers and more experienced teachers. In data collection, the researchers used questionnaire for teachers and interview guide for head teachers. Both descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used when analyzing the findings. The key findings of 100% (52) showed that they used teaching aids and oral activities. 13.4% (7) of the respondents strongly disagreed that use of code switching for teachers facilitate them as speakers to change linguistic code that maintain or destroy interpersonal relationships when teachers teach in English. Amongst techniques used by primary teachers were, stories in English, English songs, games, code switching, role play and use of charts, pictures and books as teaching aids. However, the teachers did not use poem recitation, impromptu speech, classroom presentations and group discussions when teaching their subjects in English. The study concluded that teaching techniques are still paramount to facilitate both teacher and learner’s betterment of the academic performance in all subjects that are taught in English as MoI. The researchers drew some recommendations to different educational stakeholders such as policy makers including government, ministry of education and many other Educational stakeholders to intensify the in service-trainings on English proficiency to the teachers as their second language with aim of empowering them to be familiar with English and interact with pupils in English through role plays and dialogues. The policy makers have to offer teachers different facilities including teaching aids and other resources to support them when teaching in English as a MoI.

An Analysis of Agency in Thai Education Policy: A Corpus- Driven Approach

The most important skill in modern education is critical thinking and its necessary elements are agencies and voices which are force, ability, or power to make decisions or changes. Despite numerous efforts to increase Thai students’ critical thinking skills, their ability to construct social and academic arguments is still far too weak. In addition, while these efforts mainly focus on students’ critical thinking skills, little attention has been given to other education stakeholders such as education, institutions, schools, and teachers which potentially provide room for teachers and students to be critical. In this study, we investigated the ideological indexation of education stakeholders in a series of Thai educational policies (TEPs) years 2016-2018 from the Ministry of Education, Thailand. In TEPs, we utilized the corpus linguistic frequency function to locate the possible stakeholders and applied the framework of syntactic corpus analysis for agency identification (FO-SCAAI) to lexically elicit their agencies and voices which are important elements in modern education. The findings revealed an understanding of the representation of varying degrees of education stakeholders’ agencies in TEPs. The implications of this study will lead to the realization that education stakeholders lack agencies and voices. We hope that upon realizing their lack of agency, the involved parties will make changes by providing more agencies to education stakeholders through modern education in Thai education policies.

Employment Policy, Employment Capital, and Employment Intention of Guangdong Private College Students

The purpose of this study is to explore the employment intention of private college students in Guangdong, and to analyze the relationship between employment policy, employment capital and employment intention, in order to promote the employment and economic development in Guangdong. The study adopted a quantitative approach, using an online questionnaire to survey 612 students, using a variety of data analysis tools to ensure research rigor. It is found that attitude has a significant impact on employment policy and subjective norms on employment capital and employment intention, and employment capital plays an intermediary role in the relationship between these two pairs. The findings deepen our understanding of how individual attitudes, social norms, and employment capital work together to shape employment intentions, highlight the importance of cultivating positive employment attitudes and supportive social norms to enhance employment capital, and provide targeted interventions and policy recommendations for education and employment stakeholders to improve employment outcomes.

Toward a sustainable future in Aceh primary schools: Embracing environmental education - insights from stakeholders

Toward a sustainable future in Aceh primary schools: Embracing environmental education - insights from stakeholders

Assessment of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) among physiotherapists in Cameroon: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundEvidence-Based Practice (EBP) is reported to ease effective and adequate decision making for all works of life including health professionals. Investigating the level of implementation of EBP among physiotherapists helps to identify barriers and propose solutions for its extensive implementation. Despite available data on EBP elsewhere, it remains limited or non-existent in Cameroon. This study was designed to establish the current state of EBP among physiotherapists in Cameroon, by assessing knowledge, practice, and barriers to its implementation.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted online among French- and English-speaking physiotherapists in Cameroon over a period of six months from April to July 2023, using the EBP2 questionnaire. This enabled us to collect socio-demographic data from participants and information on their knowledge, understanding and practice of EBP and possible barriers to EBP according to 5 domains (Confidence, Relevance, Terminology, Practice, Compatibility) scored out of 100. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS 25.0 software and Pearson correlations (95% CI) and significance (p < 0.05).ResultsA total of 110 physiotherapists practising in the 10 regions of Cameroon participated in the study. The majority were male (54.5%), the median age was 34 years (age range 20 to 50), the median year of graduation was 2019 (range 2004 to max 2022) with 72.7% never having knowledge or training in EBP. Participants scored below 50/100 for 3 domains (confidence, relevance, and compatibility) showing poor general knowledge and understanding of EBP, although they generally had a positive attitude towards EBP. The use of EBP in practice was low (26.3/100 SD. 6.5), despite that they appeared to have a good understanding of research terminology (55.4 SD. 17.2). Level of study of participants did not appear to significantly influence domain scores (P > 0.05). The main barriers to practice were lack of time (75.1%), workload (66%), cost of access to information resources like databases for seek informations about recent support protocols (60%), ease of access to computers (49%), and lack of resources or skills (49%).ConclusionPhysiotherapists in Cameroon have a poor knowledge of EBP and a low level of practice of EBP, despite an overall positive attitude towards it. These results could inform stakeholders of higher education on the need to improve training of physiotherapy students in the domain of EBP in Physiotherapy. Also, it will help in raising the level of scientific research and promoting the implementation of EBP in Cameroon.

Generative AI: is it a paradigm shift for higher education?

ABSTRACT In this special issue, we explore the opportunities and challenges of using Generative AI (GenAI), in particular, text generators in higher education learning and teaching. As GenAI has become increasingly popular with many staff and students, this special issue provides an overview of the current state of the field and offers insights into future research. This introduction paper consists of four parts. It begins by providing an overview of AI and Generative AI, identifying the gap and framing the special issue relating to the gaps. The second part explores the opportunities and challenges of GenAI in higher education, as identified in the literature. The third part provides an overview of the papers included in the special issue. The final part is the self-reflection of the lead author. The special issue aims to serve as a valuable resource for higher education stakeholders, such as students, practitioners, researchers and managers. We hope this collection will help advance knowledge and future research, encourage innovation and inform evidence-based policy and practices in the field of Generative AI in higher education.

Teachers' pedagogical attitude on using digital lesson contents in teaching and learning in Zanzibar secondary schools

Digital curricula have been emphasized to improve the quality of education at all levels of education. Implementing a new curriculum depends on teachers' attitudes to integrate it during teaching and learning. This study investigated the attitudes of teachers and factors that affect them towards using digital lesson content in Zanzibar, the case of Wete District. One hundred fifty-four secondary school teachers responded to the questionnaire. The SPSS version 25 was used to run the Chi-squared test and descriptive statistics to analyse the data. The overall attitude was calculated by finding the questions' mean value per Likert level. The study found that teachers’ pedagogical attitude is positive, but implementing digital lesson content in Zanzibar is still challenging. It was also observed that the attitude was significantly associated with gender (p=0.0084), whereby female respondents had higher positive attitudes (68.82%) compared to male respondents (47.44%). The paper concludes that most teachers have a positive attitude towards using digital lesson content in teaching in secondary schools. However, they lack enough relevant digital resources that support digital lesson content. Based on that, policymakers, curriculum developers, and other education stakeholders should take serious action to improve the quality of education practice in Zanzibar. Therefore, this paper recommends that the availability of digital lesson content and in-service training may encourage teachers’ pedagogical attitude to integrate digital materials into their everyday teaching process.

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.

Conceptions of Assessment: Perceptions of Physical and Health Education Teachers in Selangor, Malaysia

Physical and Health Education (PHE) assessment is essential for evaluating students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards physical and health education. Despite the limited number of studies on conceptions of assessment, more research is needed to focus on PHE teachers in the local context. This quantitative study aims to uncover secondary school PHE teachers’ conceptions of assessment by examining four variables: improvement, school accountability, student accountability, and irrelevance. The study involved 268 PHE teachers from two districts in Selangor, Malaysia. Results indicated that improvement received the highest level of agreement, while irrelevance had the lowest. A MANOVA analysis explored the effects of gender and years of teaching experience on teachers’ perceptions. The analysis showed no significant gender differences, but teachers with more than 20 years of experience had a significantly different mean perception of assessment compared to all other groups, suggesting that teaching experience affects teachers’ conceptions of assessment. The result of this study provides valuable insights for stakeholders in education, particularly in PHE assessment. Future research may benefit from incorporating qualitative methods to enhance the study’s findings on conceptions of assessment among school teachers.

A Three-Arm Delphi Process for Exploring Australian Radiography Stakeholder Prioritisation of Graduate Skill Development and their Perception of How Often These Skills are Demonstrated by Graduate Radiographers

Introduction: Clinical skills education requires commitment from academic staff, clinical supervisors, and the students themselves to ensure the attainment of specific learning goals. The aims of this study were to identify specific skill areas that radiography education stakeholders feel are important to develop in Australian radiography students, and to evaluate how frequently the stakeholders believe graduate radiographers demonstrate these skills. Methods: A three-arm Delphi process of consensus development was used to survey radiography academic educators, radiographers, and radiography students as three separate expert groups. Three to four rounds covered the nomination of professional skills important to participants, the rating and ranking of importance of these skills, and identification of how well the stakeholder groups feel graduate radiographers demonstrate these skills. Results: Twenty-four stakeholders participated in the study. Thirty-four professional capabilities were identified as being important by at least one stakeholder group. Six capabilities were rated as being very or extremely important by all groups with no large differences of ratings identified between groups for the remaining capabilities. The student group felt that graduate radiographers demonstrate identified clinical skills more frequently than was perceived by the other groups. Conclusion: The agreement between radiographer education stakeholder groups as to the importance of identified professional capabilities indicates that each group is likely to place similar emphases on the teaching and learning of these skills. Differences of opinion between students and educators around student/graduate performance levels can inform areas for improvement in student performance and educator feedback approaches.

Utilising massive open online courses to enhance global learning dissemination in cleft lip and palate: a case report of penta helix collaboration

BackgroundEducating and raising awareness in cleft lip and palate future generations is one vital effort to ensure the improvement of cleft care and research in the future. This study reported the overview in organising and evaluating the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Cleft Lip and Palate as the alternative way for students’ capacity building outside their study program whilst also earning credits towards their studies.MethodsSmile Train cleft charity generously donated recorded lectures from cleft experts around the world in which each of the experts agreed to provide one-hour live discussion sessions. The learning activities ranging from lectures, pre- and post-course evaluation, forum, live discussion sessions, virtual visits to Indonesian Cleft Centre, self-reflection assignments and final project. A survey was released to the participants to collect their feedback.ResultsThe course mainly attracted dental students, and several allied health professional students. In total, 414 out of 717 participants registered for this MOOC managed to finish the course and received a certificate of completion which was run between August–October 2021. In general, participants positively received the course.ConclusionsThe MOOC model and its objective of disseminating widespread information across geographical boundaries to enhance learning about cleft lip and palate treatment was achieved. This report serves as an example for other educational institutions and stakeholders who plan to use online educational engagement platforms to provide high-quality education and capacity building to participants in lower-middle income countries.

Safe plates in the school space: Investigating compliance of food safety standards among school-based food service providers

Enhancing food safety measures within School-Based Food Service Providers (SBFSPs) is essential to safeguarding the well-being of students and school staff against foodborne risks. This study aims to assess the compliance of SBFSPs in primary and secondary schools with documentation protocols related to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and the necessary operational permits. We conducted a descriptive-correlational study spanning from April 2020 to March 2022, involving 138 public and private elementary and high schools selected through proportional stratified sampling. Each school underwent an audit using standardized checklists for GMP, GHP, and HACCP. Descriptive statistics, Fleiss Kappa, and Pearson chi-square tests were employed for data analysis. The results indicate that the participating schools do not meet the documentation requirements for GMP/GHP (29.7%), HACCP (2.9%), and operational permits (55.1%). Additionally, the schools received a "Very Poor" rating in terms of food safety compliance, with weighted mean rating scores of 2.45 ± 0.73 (GMP/GHP), 0.09 ± 0.02 (HACCP), and 1.69 ± 0.40 (operational permits). Furthermore, a significant relationship was observed between GMP/GHP and HACCP compliance and the characteristics of SBFSPs such as school kinds, types, places, and categories. The school GMP/GHP and HACCP compliance were also associated to the health permit of SBFSP personnel, authority to operate and manage school, and food handlers training. This study emphasizes the enforcement of compliance to food safety regulations, need to provide schools with adequate facilities and infrastructure, to promote a safe food production and consumption environment. It also underscores the importance of establishing partnerships for support and educating school personnel, especially those involved in food production and consumption, about GMP/GHP and HACCP principles to ensure the safety of meals for students, teachers, and other educational stakeholders. The need for certification of food handler in schools are of paramount importance, thereby advocating for increased food safety education.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Management in the Indian Education Sector: A Study with Reference to the National Education Policy 2020

The research proposal titled "Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Management in the Indian Education Sector: A Study with Reference to the National Education Policy 2020" aims to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethical management practices within the context of the Indian education sector, with a specific focus on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The study aims to explore how CSR initiatives align with ethical management principles, and the impact of these practices on educational institutions and stakeholders.

Engendering preprimary education in Zanzibar: question of male teachers’ under-representation in early childhood teaching and learning

ABSTRACT This study investigated the factors contributing to the low participation of male teachers in preschool education in Zanzibar. Drawing upon social constructionist feminism theory, the study employed a qualitative approach involving eight respondents: 3 from Mjini and 5 female preschool teachers from the Magharib B district of Zanzibar. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analysed thematically. The study identified several factors influencing the low participation or underrepresentation of male preschool teachers, including concerns about child safety, low wages and salaries, lack of support, and negative societal attitudes. The study recommends that the government and other preschool educational stakeholders implement measures to challenge these negative attitudes and promote a more inclusive preschool teaching environment.

EDUCATION STAKEHOLDERS' METAPHORS ABOUT TEACHER’S SCRUB

The teacher’s scrub is a controversial issue. It is important to determine what teachers, school administrators, and education union representatives think of the teacher’s scrub. This study aims to reveal the metaphors produced by education stakeholders about "teacher’s scrub". In this study, a case study design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used. In this context, the study group consisted of 26 people, including teachers, school principals, and education union representatives working at different education levels in Aydın province. Data were collected using a semi-structured "interview form about teacher’s scrub" developed by the researchers. The collected data were analyzed by content analysis. The metaphors produced by the participants in the study group about the teacher’s scrub were collected in four categories: "professional identity", "protection and security", "likening to other professional identities", "order and hygiene". The results of the research show that the teacher's scrub is more than just a piece of clothing, it is an important symbol that strengthens the teacher's professional identity, increases the sense of protection and security, and is also associated with order and hygiene. It is expected that the findings of the research will contribute to the discussions about teacher’s scrub in the education community.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/lit/0758/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Mindfulness in education: Critical debates and pragmatic considerations

AbstractMindfulness has all but become a mainstay in modern education. Yet despite the incredible enthusiasm and increased application in schools, there remains significant divergence between advocates and critics. Advocates assert that mindfulness practice promotes individual and societal health and well‐being. Meanwhile, critics question the intention and the social and political implications of promoting these ancient practices in schools, arguing that the Buddhist ethics underlying mindfulness remain incompatible with the neoliberal ideology and instrumentalism of contemporary schooling. As mindfulness has been commodified, instrumentalised and used as a therapeutic tool for acute coping, its broader potential for human growth and development may be undermined. Furthermore, scholars caution that the fledging nature of mindfulness research leaves critical questions unanswered, especially the potential for adverse effects. The work herein examines these critiques, presenting three critical considerations for mindfulness in education, and articulates practical recommendations for educational leaders, policy makers and stakeholders. We aim to empower educators and others to make judgements about the promotion and integration of mindfulness into educational settings, considering context‐specific factors such as developmental needs and capacities, as well as recommendations to support effective and ethical practice of mindfulness in education.