Teaching Program Research Articles

Evaluation of the Nigerian government’s mandatory continuing professional development programme for primary school teachers

This study aimed to evaluate the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPDP) for Primary School Teachers in Ekiti State, Nigeria, between 2011 and 2021. Seventy public primary schools were purposively selected with teachers who attended MCPDP in Ekiti State, while 166 teachers (attendees and non-attendees of the MCPDP) between 2011 and 2021 participated in the mixed methods study. Key informant interviews were conducted with eight school head teachers and two senior TRCN officials. Findings indicate that most teachers agreed that the MCPDP fostered their cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences and professional competence. The MCPDP interview results also reported to have improved PSCTs' teaching competencies, commitment, and continuous relevance to the teaching profession. Thus, we recommend that the MCPD should be continued, and the TRCN should intensify the funding of the MCPD Programme and create more public awareness.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Extracurricular Teacher Education Training Program for DigCompEdu Competences

In the ongoing era of digital transformation, it is imperative for teachers to equip learners with essential digital competences to navigate the intricacies of the digital landscape successfully. As future in-service teachers function as role models and educators for the proper use of digital technology, pre-service teachers must develop adequate digital proficiency. This holds particularly true in Germany, where the prevailing competence levels of pre-service teachers are reportedly suboptimal. To this end, an extracurricular training program for pre-service teachers, based on the DigCompEdu framework, was implemented from 2021 to 2024, coinciding with COVID-19 pandemic-related limitations. A total of 242 pre-service teachers registered for the program, and 40 completed it. Employing a pre–post design, we assessed (1) attitudes towards digital technology and digital learning, (2) competence beliefs, and (3) test-based competences. Pre–post comparisons show an improvement only in participants’ confidence in deploying digital technologies for subject-specific purposes. Unexpectedly, no other statistically significant differences were observed. These findings point at shortcomings in the program, which are discussed to highlight potential areas for refinement and improvement in future programs and curricular implementation.

Students' evaluations of teaching and grades in university agricultural programs: A tale of two countries

AbstractThis manuscript investigated the relation between student evaluations of teaching (SETs) and grades. Specifically, the research aimed to determine grades' causal effect on SETs and compare it to the effect of other instructor and course factors. Data collected from surveys at a US University and a Central American University were analyzed using panel data regression procedures. The findings revealed a positive grade effect on SETs at both institutions. Other instructor and course characteristics had relatively equal or smaller effects on SETs. The study findings can help faculty to enhance SETs scores and institutions when they assess their validity.

Transprogramming in the primary-level programming lessons: reconceptualizing translanguaging in the era of artificial intelligence

Abstract In the current era of artificial intelligence, programming and coding have become crucial skills for students to navigate the constantly changing technological landscape. As technology increasingly influences various aspects of our lives, the ability to comprehend and interact with programming languages gains greater importance. However, there is limited research that examines the role of teachers’ and students’ linguistic and multimodal repertoires in facilitating programming education. This paper aims to investigate how a primary-level information technology teacher utilizes various linguistic, semiotic, and technological resources to teach programming to students. The study’s data is collected from a focussed observation in a primary information technology classroom in Hong Kong. Multimodal conversation analysis was employed to analyse the classroom data, which is triangulated with the analysis of video-stimulated-recall-interviews using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings illustrate that when engaging in programming tasks, teachers can employ a diverse range of multilingual, multimodal, and programming resources to enhance students’ programming skills. This article introduces the concept of ‘transprogramming’, which expands upon the idea of translanguaging as a theory of language. This concept of transprogramming acknowledges that programming languages and computational representations are not separate entities but are instead components of a larger linguistic and semiotic environment. The findings emphasize the importance of teachers incorporating diverse funds of knowledge in the classroom to enhance students’ capabilities in constructing and comprehending representations of programming codes during their engagement in programming activities.

Office Talks: Connection & Discourse in Peer Mentoring of Postsecondary Educators

By encouraging the development of a community of practice, peer mentoring can be a high impact component of a teaching professional development program. However, in implementing our program for novice instructors in the mathematical sciences, we found that pairing up peers and encouraging regular meetings was insufficient to create this desired connection. This article describes our solution, a just-in-time conversation tool called Office Talks, and the impact it had in creating rich mentor-mentee relationships. We provide steps to help others in designing office talks that fit the unique needs of their peer-mentoring program.

Application and Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Case Study of Programming Education

With the rising demand for personalized learning and increased digital natives, the traditional education model is under pressure to reform. the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) provides new education solutions, and the application of AI is becoming widespread, from intelligent tutoring to automated grading to learning analytics. However, the application of AI in education is not without challenges. This literature review aims to explore the impact of AI on education, analyze its potential advantages, and propose strategies to address the challenges and provide guidance for the future development of education. Understanding the impact of AI on education is instructive for the future direction of AI in education and reveals the importance of AI for education to the extent that it is important for formulating effective educational policies and cultivating future talents in AI technology. The final results of the study show that although AI in the education industry there are various difficulties and limitations, but AI offers great potential for smarter and more efficient education levels and education systems. In today's era, computer programming education is emerging as a pivotal force in shaping the future, as it not only hones students' logical thinking and innovative capabilities but also lays a solid foundation for their career paths in the digital world. By integrating knowledge across various disciplines, programming education stimulates students' enthusiasm for applying their learning to real-world problems and enhances their sense of social engagement, enabling them to tackle challenges through technological means.

Educational Activities in the Ljubljana University Botanic Gardens

Botanic gardens have an important role in educating people about plants. Direct contact with plants has a positive effect on the perception and understanding of plants and prevents plant blindness. In botanic gardens, pupils can learn about plants through practical work. At the Ljubljana University Botanic Gardens, educational programmes for schools have existed since 1986. Every year the Ljubljana University Botanic Gardens is visited by many different groups, from the youngest to oldest (kindergarten, primary school, graduate and professional school students, and faculties). We run around 350 guided tours for groups per year. Groups can choose either a guided tour with work sheets and workshops or they can visit the botanic gardens on their own. Most of groups are children from primary school. Ljubljana University Botanic Gardens offers programmes related to the valid school curriculum in Slovenia. Our programmes include guided tours based on level of pupils and/or practical work. The most popular time to visit is spring. But, we still have visitors in winter due to our tropical greenhouse. The most popular programme at our botanic gardens is the general tour. With our pedagogical programmes we contribute to plant knowledge, since we teach our pupils about nature.

“I met my best friends yesterday”: Groups as a democratic practice in Brazilian schools

In this paper, we analyse experiences of democratic practices in two research interventions within school contexts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Both projects took place in public (Government-owned and managed) schools and were inspired by participatory and critical approaches, particularly Paulo Freire’s popular education and bell hooks’ feminist pedagogies. We analyse two case studies in which group interventions raise issues about democracy within schools and broader society, stressing the differences between the two contexts. The first case study discusses an educational programme for teachers and school staff on gender and sexual diversity, funded by a pro-diversity centre-left Federal government from 2007 to 2014. We analyse the group as a space to build multiple perspectives and democratic practices on gender and sexuality. Second, we analyse material from a project that conducted workshops with pupils (7 to 11 years old) to discuss interpersonal relations and the bonds they had with their schools during lockdowns (2021). Researchers developed participatory methods for remote learning and conducted online fieldwork with students—who had their parents’ and carers’ silent presence at home—analysing the construction of bonds with school, classmates and their autonomy. This project was conducted during a much more hostile moment than the previous one, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and in an ultraconservative political context in Brazil. While even during a social-democratic administration, we found limits in discussing gender and sexuality in schools (case study 1), the later authoritarian government and context severely worsened the situation (case study 2). Nevertheless, we were able to use critical approaches to promote and discuss democratic practices, especially considering gender, sexuality, race, and class inequalities. Through our practices as school psychologists and researchers, we make collective stands against authoritarianism.

The Effect of Directed Listening Strategies on Enhancing Listening Proficiency Among Intermediate EFL Learners

This study aimed to reveal the effect of the Directed Listening strategy on developing listening skills among EFL Intermediate Stage Students. The researchers employed a quasi-experimental design with two groups, experimental and control groups. The study sample consisted of (44) third-grade intermediate school female students studying English as a foreign language. The control group included (22) students, while the experimental group comprised (22). The tool was a listening skills test designed from the English curriculum prescribed for third-grade intermediate students in Saudi Arabia. The study findings indicated that using the Directed Listening strategy significantly impacted learning listening skills (comprehending ideas, understanding the speaker's purpose, and extracting meaning) among third-grade intermediate school female students. Additionally, the Directed Listening strategy encourages students’ participation in designing educational activities, helping them connect prior knowledge with new information and predict expected new information from the text. The study recommended providing a suitable environment for implementing the Directed Listening strategy and organizing training programs for teachers to apply it effectively.

Embedding Service-Learning into a Leisure Activity Programming and Design Course in Tourism Education

ABSTRACT This study explores the design and impact of a teaching program that combines action research and service-learning, focusing on its potential to enhance individual learning performance and social engagement behaviors. This study focuses on sophomore students and involves pre-/post-test of learning performance. A total of 37 valid responses were collected. The analysis results indicate that (a) students’ willingness-to-learn, learning performance and personal responsibility are significantly higher after instruction compared to the beginning of the course. (b) Meanwhile, the students’ character identification is significantly higher after the instruction. (c) However, there is no significant difference in social responsibility, which may be explained by social expectation theory.

Design of Oral English Teaching Quality Evaluation System Based on AHP-Fuzzy Algorithm

In the evolving landscape of English oral language instruction, the integration of online and offline (blended) teaching methodologies has emerged as a significant approach to enhance learning outcomes. This study addresses the need for a robust and nuanced evaluation framework capable of assessing the quality of blended English oral language teaching. Motivated by the limitations of traditional evaluation methods in capturing the complexities and subjective nuances of blended teaching environments, we propose a novel evaluation model that leverages the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Association Analysis. This paper outlines a systematic approach to construct a comprehensive evaluation indicator system tailored to the specific demands of English oral language teaching. Utilizing AHP, we determine the relative weights of various evaluation indicators, laying a solid foundation for a structured assessment framework. Subsequently, Fuzzy Association Analysis is employed to handle the inherent uncertainties and subjectivities associated with teaching quality assessment, thereby facilitating a more accurate and holistic evaluation. An empirical case study is presented to demonstrate the practical application of our proposed AHP-Fuzzy model in evaluating the quality of a specific blended English oral language teaching program. The results underscore the model’s effectiveness in providing a detailed and nuanced assessment of teaching quality, highlighting its superiority over traditional evaluation methods in addressing the complexities of blended teaching environments.

Programming education across disciplines: a nationwide study of Danish higher education

AbstractDecades of technological development and innovation have led to an unprecedented digitalization of society. Graduates entering the modern workforce now need better computational competences. Higher education is thus forced to adapt and consider how to support these demands. To support educators in making decisions regarding how to integrate computing in their programmes, we set out to investigate to what extent and how mandatory (computer) programming has emerged in the tertiary educational system of an entire country: Denmark. We analyzed all course descriptions from 1169 tertiary educational programmes at all higher educational institutions spanning all of Denmark. This provides a “snapshot” of where and how programming education has emerged and manifested itself in higher education across faculties, study programmes, and disciplines for an entire country. Our results demonstrate that, as of 2023, 1 in 6$$\nicefrac {1}{2}$$ 1 2 educational programmes (175 out of 1169) include mandatory programming. To support educators in introducing programming, we quantify and provide an overview of educational programmes with mandatory programming along several dimensions. We characterize the roles programming has in different programmes, how programming is delineated, and which families of competences are often taught in connection with programming. Based on the results of our study, we issue five recommendations directed at policymakers and educators responsible for navigating the inclusion of programming in their education.

PerFuSIT: Personalized Fuzzy Logic Strategies for Intelligent Tutoring of Programming

Recent advancements in intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) driven by artificial intelligence (AI) have attracted substantial research interest, particularly in the domain of computer programming education. Given the diversity in learners’ backgrounds, cognitive abilities, and learning paces, the development of personalized tutoring strategies to support the effective attainment of learning objectives has become a critical challenge. This paper introduces personalized fuzzy logic strategies for intelligent programming tutoring (PerFuSIT), an innovative fuzzy logic-based module designed to select the most appropriate tutoring strategy from five available options, based on individual learner characteristics. The available strategies include revisiting previous content, progressing to the next topic, providing supplementary materials, assigning additional exercises, or advising the learner to take a break. PerFuSIT’s decision-making process incorporates a range of learner-specific parameters, such as performance metrics, error types, indicators of carelessness, frequency of help requests, and the time required to complete tasks. Embedded within the traditional ITS framework, PerFuSIT introduces a sophisticated reasoning mechanism for dynamically determining the optimal instructional approach. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that PerFuSIT significantly enhances learner performance and improves the overall efficacy of interactions with the ITS. The findings highlight the potential of fuzzy logic to optimize adaptive tutoring strategies by customizing instruction to individual learners’ strengths and weaknesses, thereby providing more effective and personalized educational support in programming instruction.

The readability of books for immersion schools

Abstract Few books are available to support reading instruction in minority language immersion programs. Since North American teachers provide children with a choice of books scaffolded in difficulty and suited to their interests, they must resort to creating or adapting their own minority language materials, networking, or spending hours online or in bookstores. A more systematic approach would be based on an interdisciplinary understanding of the concept of readability. We focus on German as a minority language in North America and examined research published in both German and English to develop a conceptual framework of readability as comprising text complexity, context, and literary aspects. Using this framework, we conceptualize a research program for investigating readability of books in minority languages. This research program would be language-specific, but adaptable to other minority languages, thereby serving as a call to action for researchers interested in the readability of books.

Teachers as Catalysts for Change: Advocating Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education

The main focus of this qualitative study is to explore secondary school teachers' perceptions of their roles in supporting adolescent mental health in classrooms, emphasizing the need to empower them as agents of change. Semi-structured interviews with teachers from twelve secondary schools were conducted, offering deep insights into their experiences and perceptions. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis, highlighting key themes: understanding adolescent development, the expanding role of teachers, the role of other support systems, and barriers to effective mental health intervention. Themes emphasize the interplay of teacher roles and the needed institutional support for addressing mental health. Teachers recognize their unique position to influence adolescents' mental health positively but are often underprepared and unsupported due to a variety of factors. The study recommends developing comprehensive training programs for mental health teachers and comprehensive school support systems. It also highlights the importance of a collaborative approach that includes parents, mental health professionals, and community organizations to strengthen the support network for adolescents. For policymakers and educational leaders, the research suggests strategies that empower teachers as frontline advocates for mental health in schools. With an emphasis on the integral role of teachers, this study contributes to the ongoing discussion about improving mental health outcomes in schools.

Writing and reading workshop: impact on reading motivation, reading amount and text comprehension

AbstractThe article explores the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation, reading amount and the comprehension of narrative and expository texts in lower secondary school students. In addition, we intended to verify the effect on these variables of an educational programme, the writing and reading workshop (WRW), aimed at promoting students' love of reading and useful reading strategies. The sample included 149 children attending the first year of lower secondary school. A longitudinal design with two steps of data collection was used. In five classes, teachers applied the WRW; the same number of classes were enrolled as a control group and the teachers applied the Italian traditional teaching programme. The experimental group achieved better results in narrative text comprehension and in reading amount after 1 year. Reading amount was found to mediate the relationship between the instructional method and reading comprehension. No effects of the teaching method were found on either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.

Cognitive engagement as a predictor of learning gain in Python programming

The relationship between cognitive engagement and learning gains in computer programming has not been well-studied. This study examined the relationship between students’ cognitive engagement and learning gains in the context of Python programming. Cognitive engagement, defined by the Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive (ICAP) framework, refers to the level and depth of mental effort and involvement a learner invests in an educational activity. In this paper, we provide details about how students’ actions were classified into three levels of cognitive engagement. We studied these actions’ frequency and duration differences and performed regression analysis. The results revealed significant student diversity regarding frequency and time allocation to these engagement categories and highlight the complex interplay between students’ cognitive activities and their corresponding time investments. Further, the regression analysis results showed that the constructive and passive levels of engagement were significant predictors of students’ learning gains in the case of Python programming.These findings offer actionable insights into why some students may have lower learning gains. By examining the specific levels of cognitive engagement that lead to better learning outcomes, this study hopes to inform the development of more effective learning environments that support student engagement and improve programming education.

Innovations in Introductory Programming Education: The Role of AI with Google Colab and Gemini

This study explores the impact of artificial intelligence on the teaching of programming, focusing on the GenAI Gemini tool in Google Colab. It evaluates how this technology influences the comprehension of fundamental concepts, teaching processes, and effective teaching practices. In this research, students’ motivation, interest, and satisfaction are determined, as well as the fulfillment and surpassing of their learning expectations. With a quantitative approach and a quasi-experimental design, an investigation was carried out in seven programming groups in a polytechnic university in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The results reveal that the use of GenAI significantly increases interest in programming, with 91% of the respondents expressing increased enthusiasm. In addition, 90% feel that the integration of GenAI meets their expectations, and 91% feel that it has exceeded those expectations in terms of educational support. This study evidences the value of integrating advanced technologies into education, suggesting that GenAI can transform the teaching of programming. However, successful implementation depends on timely training of educators, ethics training for students, ongoing interest in the technology, and a curriculum design that maximizes the capabilities of GenAI.

Exploring Student Perspectives on Generative AI in Requirements Engineering Education

The rapid development of generative AI (GenAI) technologies in recent years has enabled new opportunities as well as new challenges in higher education. While many studies in computer science have focused on GenAI in programming education, fewer have examined its possibilities and challenges in requirements engineering (RE). This study aims to explore the impact of GenAI on the pedagogical aspects of RE in higher education, focusing on the student perspective, to analyse how GenAI might influence learning experiences, knowledge acquisition, and skill development. The main research question to answer was: "What are the students’ perspectives of the integration of GenAI in the educational practices of requirements engineering?" An Action research strategy was employed, with one of the authors also serving as teacher in the investigated course. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from workshops and surveys. During the workshops, students used ChatGPT to generate and evaluate software requirements and compared these to manually crafted requirements. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data captured students’ perspectives, while survey data identified trends and preferences. Findings show that while students generally had a positive experience with GenAI, valuing its efficiency and the quality of generated requirements, they also recognized the need for human oversight to maintain accuracy. The study highlights both opportunities and challenges of using GenAI in RE education. While GenAI increased learning engagement and helped with brainstorming, students faced difficulties in creating effective prompts and found it time-consuming to refine AI-generated requirements. A hybrid approach, combining AI-generated and manually created requirements, proved most effective by balancing AI's advantages with human insights. Further research is needed on how GenAI could be effectively integrated into computer science education.

Boundary crossings: innovating assessment practices in higher education

Purpose Advancing assessment practices represents an underexplored yet integral dimension of further progress for the field of sustainability-related teaching and learning in higher education. This study aims to address this area by seeking to understand the barriers that program leaders and instructors face in advancing assessment practices to identify possible innovations. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework centered on boundaries and boundary crossings is used to conceptualize barriers and possibilities in innovating assessment practices. The study then examines how a boundary object, the deliberation of assessment practices among a sustainability education community of practice, can be leveraged to identify boundaries and boundary crossings. Through an exploratory action research approach, data were collected via workshops, interviews and a survey. These were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings Six themes were identified as key areas for barriers and possibilities for advancing assessment practices. These themes are: defining sustainability education, practice characteristics, interdisciplinary approaches, transdisciplinary strategies, meeting demands and facilitating innovations. For each theme, status quo practices and potential innovations are described as well as boundary-crossing strategies to enable advances in practice. Originality/value This study considers the conceptual, practical and logistical breakthroughs needed to advance assessment practices across course, program and institutional levels of sustainability-related teaching and learning in higher education. The insights from the study provide considerations for the design and implementation of assessment practices while also suggesting the value of participatory deliberative processes in shaping innovations in practice.