Higher Secondary School Research Articles

An Experimental Study to Assess the Impacts of Cooperative Teaching on Academic Performance of Higher Secondary School Students in Faisalabad

The educational system in Pakistan is mainly dependent on traditional teaching approaches, which are often regarded as ineffective and have a poor impact on the academic performance of students. We conducted this experimental study to examine the cooperative teaching impacts on the academic performance of students studying at the higher secondary school level in tehsil Faisalabad. Collaborative learning is a valuable instructional approach where students allocate tasks among themselves, assist each other (especially those who have difficulty), offer positive and negative feedback, and work together to achieve a collective outcome. Through such collaboration, students exhibit greater engagement and academic success. In this study, we compared students' academic performance by comparing the experimental and control group students. Control groups comprised of total 40 students. A single teacher conducted academic activities with them. Whereas in the experimental group, total 40 students were taught through the cooperative teaching method. The research design of the control was a pre-test and post-test, which is representative of true experimental design, and the same was applied to the experiment in this study. The results revealed that the students in the experimental group who were taught through a cooperative teaching approach academically performed better as compared to control. This implies that cooperative teaching technique had a positive influence on the students’ academic performance. This is concluded that the cooperative teaching technique was better as compared to the conventional method of teaching. Therefore, this cooperative method of teaching should be implemented for other subjects and at other school levels.

Benefits of Communicative Method of Teaching Grammar in a Bhutanese Higher Secondary School: A Qualitative Study

The effective method to teach grammar to students has been a point of disputation between advocates for language acquisition and linguistics. The study investigated the benefits of the Communicative Method of Teaching Grammar (CMTG) in a Higher Secondary School under Thimphu Thromde. The study was based on the constructivist paradigm and adopted a qualitative case study research design. The study involved twelve students and three English teachers selected purposefully from a Higher Secondary School in Thimphu. The data was collected through one-on-one interviews, Focus group discussions (FGDs), and lesson observations. The data collected was analysed employing the thematic analysis procedure of Creswell & Creswell [1]. The findings revealed the benefits of CMTG. The results showed that the benefits of CMTG included enhancing speaking abilities, fostering creativity, comprehensible input, and the ability for effective communication. This study recommends that English teachers pursue professional development in the Communicative Method of Teaching Grammar (CMTG) and maintain an average class size of 20 to 25 students. This study also suggests providing classrooms with a sufficient variety of technologically advanced instruments. The CMTG should be used to teach grammar to students, and relevant stakeholders in education should provide policy recommendations on how to train in-service and pre-service teachers on its use. The benefits of CMTG could be thoroughly investigated in future studies utilizing a quasi-experimental design.

Is there anybody out there? Insights into Teachers’ Emergency Remote Teaching Experiences

This study aims to explore the phenomenon of emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of teaching practices from the perspective of public high school teachers. This study, as a phenomenology design pattern in the qualitative paradigm, focused on the phenomenon of ERT as experienced by public high school teachers and as it appeared to the teachers from the first-person point of view. Data were collected from five secondary education public high school teachers who were selected through criterion and convenience sampling methods also using an individual semi-structured interview form, transcribed by dictation.io and analyzed through content analysis. This study yielded vivid descriptions through the themes of “shifting practices,” “pearls and pitfalls of ERT” and “most challenging aspects of ERT experiences.” Personal gains left aside, the study can provide decision-makers with insights for considering the effectiveness of the execution of ERT. The findings can be used to improve the status of ERT practices and learning at the time of crises.

Knowledge, attitude, experience and management on premenstrual syndrome among secondary level adolescence girl students of Kirtipur Municipality, Kathmandu, Nepal

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common menstrual disorder that affects the quality of life of women. The objective of this study is to identify the knowledge, attitude, experience and management on pre-menstrual syndrome among higher secondary level adolescence girls’ students of Kirtipur Municipality of Kathmandu district.
 Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 322 adolescence girl students of higher secondary school of Kritipur Municipality using pre-tested self-administered questionnaire.
 Results: The mean age of the respondents was 17 years. It was found that 90.2% of the respondent had very poor knowledge on premenstrual syndrome and 9.2% of the respondent had fair /below average knowledge regarding PMS. The level of knowledge among the study participants was found statistically significant with education status of mother (p=0.002) and that of father (p=0.013). The prevalence of PMS among the female students of higher secondary level was found to be high (77%). Considerably high proportion of the participants reported having at least one somatic and one affective symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. The most frequent affective symptoms experienced by the respondents were mood swings, headache, irritability and somatic symptom was acnes in this study.
 Conclusions: Majority of the respondents had poor knowledge and extremely negative attitude towards PMS. High proportion of the participants reported having at least one somatic and one affective symptom of PMS. Comprehensive education on menstrual health and PMS can be suggested for the adolescence girl in school level.

Effectiveness of Instructional Strategies in Bridging the Mathematics Skills Gap Among High School Students: Basis in Developing an Action Plan

The study sought analysis of high school teachers’ perception on the effectiveness of instructional strategies in bridging the mathematics skills gap among high school students with respect to the discovery approach, cooperative learning, problem-solving approach, inquiry-based teaching approach, and integrative teaching approach. Also, the study sought analysis of the problems the high school teachers encountered in using the different instructional strategies. The study utilized descriptive survey research using a structured questionnaire in gathering the needed data and was given through a Google form to teachers in Tuguegarao. There were a total of 75 respondents from 6 public secondary high schools. Based on the foregoing findings, the following conclusions were drawn. Respondents’ perceptions of the effectiveness of inquiry-based and discovery approaches as instructional strategies in bridging the mathematics skills gap among high school students are not comparable when grouped according to age and length of service, respectively. The major perceived problem encountered by the teachers in utilizing instructional strategies in bridging the mathematics skills gap among high school students is the large class size, ranked as the first major perceived problem. It is also concluded that there are enough competent mathematics teachers in high school. It was recommended that the teachers often use the Discovery approach and the inquiry-based approach instructional strategies as part of their motivation, presentation, discussion, and evaluation of the lessons in mathematics to make meaningful learning to their students.

Knowledge and Attitude on Substance Abuse among Higher Secondary Schools Adolescents in Kathmandu District

Background: Substance abuse creates a great threat to the health, social and economic condition of individual, family, community and to the nation. In the past two decades’ abuse of substances is an important public health concern especially among adolescent which creates tremendous burden on society. So, researchers were interested to assess the knowledge and attitude of adolescents on substance abuse in higher secondary schools of Kathmandu district. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used to assess the knowledge and attitude of adolescence on substance abuse. At first seven school and colleges was selected by the probability simple random sampling technique with 630 sample studying management and humanities. Data collection was done through self-administered questionnaire. Results: More than half (59.2%) respondents have poor knowledge whereas only 8.6% have good level of knowledge on substance abuse, as only few have good level of knowledge on substance abuse. There is significant association between the level of knowledge with age group (p value 0.011), Sex (p value 0.001), Ethnicity (p value 0.001), type of family (p value 0.001) and father’s education (p value 0.027) mother’s education (p value 0.009), father occupation (p value 0.036), and relationship between parents (p value 0.01). Conclusion: More than half respondents have poor knowledge whereas only 8.6% have good level of knowledge on substance abuse. Though awareness campaigns exist in the country, but findings of this study suggest that still these activities need to be made more strengthen in order to make aware to the youth.

Problems Of Tribal Girl Students Studying in Govt. High Schools Situated in Rural Areas of District Jammu in The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir

Everyday girls in rural areas face major problems such as gender discrimination, household chores, unsafe environment, poverty, early marriage and lack of toilet facilities. There are some problems that affects schedule tribe girls’ education badly and make their life pathetic. We must understand that we cannot make an inclusive society without educating girls. We should educate our tribals society so that people who live in tribals areas can easily understand the value of education. The local administration and the schools should arrange clean and separate all the facilities to the schedule tribe girls students so that they feel comfortable in the schools. The investigator has to prepare two Interview schedule for this study. One for head of the institution and one for the schedule tribe girl students. Through interview schedule the investigator tries know the problems of the girls students studying in the government schools in the rural areas. The sample of my study was 300 tribals girl students studying in the higher secondary school in the government schools in rural areas.

Perfectionism, Self-Esteem and DSM-IV-Based Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between perfectionism and self-esteem and the symptoms of anxiety disorders in adolescent. Study design: Cross-sectional research design was used in this study Place and duration of the study: The study was conducted from private high secondary schools and colleges in Karachi, Pakistan, from February 2019 to March 2020. Subject and Method: 500 students made up the entire sample for the current study. Additionally, the sample includes both male (N=212) and female (N=288) students. The participants' ages ranged from 12 to 18 years old. The mean age of the sample as a whole was 15.44 (SD=1.82), while the mean ages of male and female students were respectively 15.12 (SD=1.89) and 15.68 (SD=1.88). Furthermore, a sample of 254 kids in grades 8 through 10 and 246 college students in grades 11 and 12 was chosen from various schools and colleges. Results: Pearson product moment correlation and linear regression were used to examine the data using statistical software for social sciences (SPSS- Vol. 16.0). The findings demonstrated that perfectionism and anxiety have a strong positive relationship (P.001). Furthermore, a summary of linear regression demonstrates that perfectionism in adolescents predicts the amount of anxiety in adolescents. Perfectionism accounts for around 5.3 percent of the variation in anxiety symptoms in adolescents. Self-esteem and anxiety, on the other hand, have a substantial negative connection (p.001) among adolescents. Low self-esteem in teenagers significantly predicts the level of anxiety in adolescents, according to the results of linear regression. Self-esteem accounts for around 15% of the variation in anxiety symptoms in adolescents. The findings were evaluated in light of prior studies, and new directions for future research were suggested. Practical Implication: The study "Perfectionism, Self-esteem, and DSM-IV-Based Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents" has important implications for those working with anxious adolescents in the Pakistani community. The results suggest that reducing perfectionism and improving self-esteem could help alleviate anxiety symptoms in Pakistani adolescents, and mental health practitioners can use this information to develop culturally sensitive interventions that take into account the unique cultural and social context of Pakistan. Additionally, early detection and intervention of anxiety symptoms is crucial, and raising awareness among parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals in Pakistan could be beneficial. The study's findings could inform the development of effective, culturally sensitive mental health programs and interventions for Pakistani adolescents in the educational system. Overall, this study provides valuable information to assist parents and professionals in supporting adolescents coping with anxiety challenges. Conclusion: The study provides valuable information for parents and professionals to support adolescents coping with anxiety challenges, but it also has some limitations, and important recommendations were made. Keywords Self-esteem, Perfectionism, Anxiety disorder, Adolescents, DSM-IV-TR,

Factors Affecting the Secondary School Students’ Attitude towards Learning English Language: A Case of a Higher Secondary School in Southern Bhutan

This study explored the factors affecting higher secondary school students’ attitudes toward learning English as a second language in southern Bhutan. The study intended to investigate factors affecting the attitudes of Bhutanese secondary students towards learning English as the researcher could not locate any studies done by Bhutanese in Bhutan. The study is conducted to identify the factors that influence the attitudes of secondary school students toward English learning and their performance in English. The study employed the convergent parallel mixed-methods design guided by a pragmatic paradigm. The quantitative data consists of randomly administered questionnaires to 302 students from class IX to XII. The qualitative data was collected through focus group students and semi-structured interview teachers. The study employed simple descriptive and inferential statistical analysis for quantitative data and thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2018) for qualitative analysis. The findings indicated that secondary school students possess both positive and negative attitudes toward learning English as a second language. Further, the finding indicated that educational factors such as the classroom environment and classroom teaching-learning strategies are found to have influences on students' attitudes towards learning English. The finding also revealed that the authentic and appropriate textbooks and the use of interesting varieties of teaching-learning materials by teachers affect the attitudes of students towards learning English. The home and community environment such as parental support and the opportunities to speak English in the community are also found to have an impact on student's attitudes toward learning English. The finding implies that a positive attitude towards the English language enhances language learning and negative attitude detriments the learning process.
 The study recommends the school and the teachers create a comfortable and conducive classroom environment and implement appropriate teaching-learning strategies and materials to enhance the positive attitude of students toward learning English as a second language. The study also recommends parents and the community support and encourage the use of English to enhance students' positive attitudes toward learning English.

Does more schooling imply improved learning? Evidence from the Kanyashree Prakalpa in India

Studies on Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs have documented positive effects on school enrollment though evidence on learning outcomes is mixed. Using representative data, we evaluate one of the largest CCT programs, Kanyashree Prakalpa (KP), which was implemented in the state of West Bengal, India, in 2013. In particular, we examine the effect on female school enrollment and learning outcomes. Exploiting the timing of the program implementation for identification and applying difference-in-difference regressions, we document a positive effect on enrollment with no discernible impact on secondary and higher secondary school completion. We also observe significant improvements in lower-level learning outcomes but a marked deterioration in higher-level skills like solving simple division problems. Complementary investments like classroom availability and teacher attendance appear to have fallen after the implementation of KP, which explains the decline in learning skills despite higher schooling exposure, thereby underscoring the need for supply-side interventions in school amenities.

An investigation on the impact of vedic mathematics on higher secondary school student’s ability to expand mathematical units

Vedic mathematics strongly influences high school students’ capacity to extend mathematical units. The study compares Vedic arithmetic formulae to current mathematical science. The study’s technique is based on a retrospective-to-prospective design using past-to-present Vedic mathematics. The study collects data from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected from 220 high school students using a planned schedule in pre- and post-Vedic mathematical phenomena. Primary data is evaluated using a regression model and paired sample t-test to further understand how Vedic mathematics might help students increase mathematical units in a globalized environment. The present study would assist academicians, policymakers, and researchers to better use Vedic mathematics formulae because the findings interpret the link between Vedic mathematics and high school students’ capacity to extend mathematical units

Impact of Family Involvement on Academic Achievement at Higher Secondary Level

This abstract discussed a study that investigated the impact of family involvement on academic achievement at the higher secondary level. The study collected data from 400 parents of higher secondary school students using a convenient sampling technique. The study aimed to understand how family involvement affects academic achievement among higher secondary school students and how parents can support their children's education to promote positive outcomes. The study showed that family involvement significantly impacts student academic achievement, including higher grades, improved attendance, and greater motivation to learn. The study also found that parents more involved in their children's education were more likely to provide academic resources and guidance, establish high academic expectations, and create a supportive home environment. The study suggests that schools and educators should encourage family involvement and provide resources to support parents in promoting their children's academic success. The findings of this study provide insights into the important role that family involvement plays in higher secondary students' academic achievement and the potential benefits of promoting greater family involvement in education.

SYNCHRONISING ONLINE RESOURCE (PENZU) AND COMPUTER APPLICATION FOR LANGUAGE INSTRUCTIONS: A PAKISTANI POST COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTEXT

Pakistan is going through a period of transition after Covid-19 pandemic situation which created a dire need to use computer as a tool and other online resources in the classrooms. To contribute to this situation, the present study investigated the effects of using computer as a tool and Penzu software as online source for language instructions. The study used experimental design and conducted a classroom experiment of 40 higher secondary school students (20 experimental & 20 in control group) through pre/post-tests over different period of time to examine development in students’ writing skills. On post-test-I, it was observed that students in the control group showed sudden rise in the development of writing skills compared to experimental group. But, on post-test-II and III, students in the experimental group showed consistency in the development in writing skills while control group could not maintain their consistency of development in writings. Hence, findings of the study revealed that using computer as a tool for instructions and Penzu as online resource to conduct writing activities proved more useful in improving students’ writing skills compared to the students in the control group. Finally, findings also revealed that students became more independent in self-corrections in the experimental group and continued to expand their learning outside the classroom while control group was dependent on teacher and could only find time in the classroom for corrective feedback which limited students’ learning to their classroom. In addition to this, the study recommends that further computer applications and other online resources can be more useful in language instructions apart from teaching writing skills. Besides, findings of this study have significant theoretical and practical implications pertaining to EFL teachers’ professional development, teaching skills and students’ learning environment.

LAWFUL INSTRUCTION OF USING CALI FOR HIGHER SECONDARY LEVEL STUDENTS IN PAKISTAN: THE POST COVID-19 CONTEXT

Post-Covid-19 pandemic situation has created a dire need to use computer in the instructional methodology synchronising with other online resources in the classrooms. The present study was conducted to examine the effects of using computer synchronised by Penzu software as online source for teaching English to the higher secondary school students in Punjab, Pakistan. The study used experimental design and conducted a classroom experiment of 40 higher secondary school students (20 experimental & 20 in control group) through pre/post-tests over different period of time to examine development in students’ writing skills. On post-test-I, it was observed that students in the control group showed sudden rise in the development of writing skills compared to experimental group. But, on post-test-II and III, students in the experimental group showed consistency in the development in writing skills while control group could not maintain their consistency of development in writings. Hence, findings of the study revealed that using computer as a tool for instructions and Penzu as online resource to conduct writing activities proved more useful in improving students’ writing skills compared to the students in the control group. Finally, findings also revealed that students became more independent in self-corrections in the experimental group and continued to expand their learning outside the classroom while control group was dependent on teacher and could only find time in the classroom for corrective feedback which limited students’ learning to their classroom. In addition to this, the study recommends that further computer applications and other online resources can be more useful in language instructions apart from teaching writing skills. Besides, findings of this study have significant theoretical and practical implications pertaining to EFL teachers’ professional development, teaching skills and students’ learning environment.

Assessment of impact of structured education regarding COVID – 19 among higher secondary school children among selected schools of Kalaburagi City

Background: The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is considered as an emerging respiratory disease that is highly infectious, and was detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. According to WHO, Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Understanding people’s perceptions of disease will provide tools to improve strategies to limit its transmission. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) associated with the disease among higher secondary school students. Objectives: The primary objective was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding COVID-19. The secondary objective was to improve and compare the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding COVID-19 among the school children. Materials and Methods: A community based prospective educational study was conducted among higher secondary school children of randomly selected schools in Kalaburagi city. All the selected students in the study were provided with a data collection form and assent form including self-structured questionnaires. After pre-test all the students were educated regarding COVID-19 by means of PowerPoint presentations, videos and information- leaflets on COVID-19. Post-test has been conducted after a gap of 14 days of education by means of same questionnaires. Data were collected and entered into excel and results were analyzed. Pre-test and post-test intervention data were compared using student t- test. Result: A statistically significant difference between secondary school students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices before and after educational intervention. In the post-test, all 220 students had a good knowledge (95.7%), attitude (94.2%), and practice (92.5%) level with a very highly statistical significance which improved after structured education. Conclusion: The findings have revealed that secondary school students' knowledge, attitude, and practice have been improved after the structured education by clinical pharmacist.

A Study to Assess the Impacts of Music Therapy on Mental and Physical Health of Adolescents Due to Covid-19 at Selected Higher Secondary School at Jaipur, Rajasthan

A Study to Assess the Impacts of Music Therapy on Mental and Physical Health of Adolescents Due to Covid-19 at Selected Higher Secondary School at Jaipur, Rajasthan

Role of Discipline in the Academic Performance of the Students of Peljorling Higher Secondary School: Gender Based Study

Role of Discipline in the Academic Performance of the Students of Peljorling Higher Secondary School: Gender Based Study

Impact of Learning Environment on Academic Performance of Students at Secondary Level

The main objective of this research study was to find out the effect of the learning environment on the academic performance of students at the Higher Secondary Level in the district Dera Ghazi Khan. The population of this study is the students studying in higher secondary schools, private colleges, and Government colleges of the 12th class. The sample size of this research study was1070. A search tool was adopted. The data was collected by the researcher through visiting the Institutions physically. The collected data were tabulated, organized, and was entered in the SPSS. The research study was analyzed through descriptive analysis and inferential statistics. The findings of this study show that there was a significant difference in the perception of male and female students about the effect of the learning environment. Private colleges provide a more learning environment to the students as compared to public institutions. Based on the findings of this study it was recommended that schools should provide basic facilities like library furniture electricity and better seating arrangements. Students should be given opportunities to develop their confidence through debates.

Corpus based Investigation of Gender Representation in Education: A Content Analysis of Pakistani and Indian High Secondary Schools’ Text Books

Gender disparity in textbooks is one of the greatest obstacles to overcome on the path to gender's education equality. The present study focuses on to discover gender stereotypes in school instruction with the special focus on government secondary school English language textbooks from Pakistan and India. Quantitative content analysis is used in this research. The data supported the pro-male bias in textbooks, with a total female share of 23.4% across both textual and visual indices. According to a cross-country research, India has a 17.5% female representation in visual content, compared to Pakistan's 11.2%. The study showed that women are underrepresented in Pakistani textbooks, both qualitatively and quantitatively, holds true regardless of the grades, provinces, and subjects covered, as well as the variety and kind of categories utilized.

COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among 42,565 Adults Amid the Spread of Omicron Variant in Beijing, China.

Vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been in use for over two years, but studies that reflect real-world vaccination coverage and demographic determinants are lacking. Using a multistage stratified random cluster sampling method, we planned to directly explore vaccination coverage and the demographic determinants of different doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Beijing, especially in older populations. All 348 community health service centers in 16 districts were involved. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify demographic determinants of different coverage rates via adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% CIs. Of the 42,565 eligible participants, the total vaccination coverage rates for ≥1 dose, ≥2 doses, ≥3 doses, and 4 doses were 93.3%, 91.6%, 84.9%, and 13.0%, respectively, but decreased to 88.1%, 85.1%, 76.2%, and 3.8% in the older population. Among all participants, younger (aOR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.60-1.95), male (aOR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.06-1.23), and better-educated residents (high school and technical secondary school aOR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.43-1.74; bachelor's degree aOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.37-1.70) were more likely to be fully vaccinated. People who lived in rural areas (aOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.31-1.60) and held the new rural cooperative health insurance (aOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.20-1.57) established a higher rate of full vaccination coverage. No history of chronic disease was positively associated with a higher coverage rate (aOR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.66-1.97). Occupation also affected vaccination coverage. Demographic factors influencing the rate of vaccination with at least one or three doses were consistent with the results above. Results remained robust in a sensitivity analysis. Given the highly transmissible variants and declining antibody titers, accelerating the promotion of booster vaccination coverage, especially in high-risk groups such as the elderly, is a top priority. For all vaccine-preventable diseases, rapidly clarifying vaccine-hesitant populations, clearing barriers, and establishing a better immune barrier can effectively safeguard people's lives and property and coordinate economic development with epidemic prevention and control.