Teaching Program Research Articles

Educational technology and the digital divide: A conceptual framework for technical literacy inclusion

This paper seeks to bridge the gap between digital haves and have-nots, fostering equitable access to educational opportunities in the digital age. To expand on the proposed framework for addressing the digital divide through technical literacy inclusion in educational settings, it's essential to delve deeper into the key components and strategies inherent in such an initiative. The framework aims to tackle the multifaceted challenges posed by the digital divide by promoting not only access to digital resources but also the development of essential digital literacy skills among all learners. It recognizes that equitable access to technology alone is insufficient without the ability to effectively navigate and utilize digital tools and resources. One crucial aspect of the framework involves ensuring universal access to digital infrastructure and resources. This includes initiatives to provide students from underserved communities with access to digital devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones, as well as reliable internet connectivity both at school and at home. Additionally, efforts may be made to establish community centers or digital hubs where individuals can access technology and receive support for their digital literacy needs. Moreover, the framework emphasizes the importance of integrating digital literacy education into the curriculum at all levels of education. This entails designing and implementing instructional programs that equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate digital platforms, critically evaluate online information, and leverage technology for learning and productivity. Teachers play a crucial role in delivering effective digital literacy instruction, and professional development opportunities should be provided to support educators in this endeavor. Furthermore, the framework recognizes the need for targeted interventions to address specific barriers to digital inclusion faced by marginalized populations.

Learning to code and coding to learn: A robotics curriculum integrating tangible programming and road safety education for young children

Learning to code and coding to learn: A robotics curriculum integrating tangible programming and road safety education for young children

Literature Manuals in Times of New Mediacy in Sweden

The present article focuses on the role of the teaching and learning of literature in a large-scale Swedish, professional development programme for teachers called the Reading Lift. More specifically this study, using qualitative content analysis, examines the educational function of the most prominently referred to literary didactic theory and method developers in the program: Judith Langer, Aidan Chambers, Louise M. Rosenblatt, and Rita Felski, but also the relationship between literary didactics, literacy, and fiction. The results show a strong domination of Langer-inspired manual and strategy-based approaches, primarily promoting efferent reading stances. More holistic hermeneutic and dialogic approaches in support of aesthetic reading, represented by Chambers, Rosenblatt and Felski, are less common. Further, there is a strong alliance between the literacy concept and the systematic and manual-based literary didactic approaches. Also, in the literacy discourse, literary works of art have become not just texts amongst other texts, and foreign, but are also framed as hypermediacy. Based on our results we tentatively suggest that a shift in paradigms of literature education has taken place, from literature pedagogy, grounded in print culture, to literature didactics, situated in new mediacy and the digital.

An Investigation into the Efficacy of Structured Education Program on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse among Adolescent Girls in Certain Schools in Mysuru

The dark issue of child sexual abuse (CSA) must start at home and spread to all levels of society if reform is to be achieved. It is awkward for parents to discuss sexuality and sexual abuse with their children because Indian society has traditionally ingrained conservative beliefs about these topics in its youth. The majority of homes completely avoid having these conversations, which understates the potential of harm, particularly in cases of rare and underreported sexual abuse. Quasi experimental pre-test post-test design, a convenience sampling technique was used to select the samples (N=60). Tool was administered to assess the current knowledge, a structured teaching programme (STP) was conducted later post test was administered and data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The post-test knowledge score mean percentage (86.68%) was higher than the mean percentile of pre-test knowledge score (46.6%). The calculated paired ‘t’ value is greater than the table value (0.05 44df) = 2.01 It showed a significant difference between mean pre and post-test knowledge scores. Calculated Chi-square values are showed significant association between socio demographic data of respondents with their pre-test knowledge scores. The study findings showed that knowledge on CSA was less before STP. The results indicated that STP is helpful in increasing their knowledge effectively.

Success Stories of Junior High School Master Teachers Towards Professional Development: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Professional development of master teachers involves acknowledging expertise and fostering ongoing development through individualized, self-directed learning. This study explored the success stories of master teachers' professional development, influenced by Malcolm Knowles' 1980 Andragogy Theory. Utilizing phenomenology, the research examines consciousness structures from a first-person perspective. The central structure of an experience was its intentionality, its being directed toward something, as it was an experience of or about some object. Based on the responses of the participants, my analysis revealed three emerging themes under the success stories of junior high school master teachers towards professional development were: harmonious group dynamics, supportive team player and coordinated collaboration. Recognizing group dynamics within professional development for master teachers optimizes collaborative learning experiences, enhancing both student interactions and educators' growth while fostering impactful learning spaces and collaborative skills. The educational insights that were drawn from the experiences on the success stories of master teachers towards professional development. The insights of these teachers were geared towards two themes namely: encouraging support and continual professional development. Future researchers concentrating on master teachers' growth may investigate the enduring impact of new teaching methods and their correlation with improved student learning, as well as explore expanding successful master teacher programs to enhance educators' effectiveness.

Current Issues of Introducing Psychological and Pedagogical Programs and Technologies into the Educational Environment

Current Issues of Introducing Psychological and Pedagogical Programs and Technologies into the Educational Environment

The importance of emotional intelligence in reducing work fatigue in playgroup and kindergarten teachers

This This study aimed to examine the relationship between the level of emotional intelligence and the level of work fatigue in playgroup and kindergarten teachers. The research participants were 100 teachers from various educational institutions at playgroup and kindergarten level in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The instruments used included the emotional intelligence scale and work fatigue scale. The data collection method was through a scale distributed to participants which was then analyzed by using the Karl-Pearson product moment analysis method. The results of data analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between the level of emotional intelligence and the level of work fatigue in play group and kindergarten teachers (r = -0.672, p < 0.001). This showed that the higher the level of emotional intelligence, the lower the level of work fatigue felt by teachers. Vice versa, the lower the level of emotional intelligence, the higher the level of work fatigue felt by the teacher. The emotional intelligence variable contributed 45.1% to work fatigue, while the remaining 54.9% was influenced by other factors. This study provided important implications for future researchers as well as administrators of educational institutions and teachers to improve the understanding and development of emotional intelligence as a strategy to reduce the level of work fatigue in teachers at the play group and kindergarten levels. In an effort to improve welfare and the quality of teaching, fostering emotional intelligence needed to be integrated into training and professional development programs for teachers.

“I’m Not Sure I Can See Myself in This World”: Experience of Mindfulness Teacher Training among Trainees from Diverse Backgrounds

Abstract Objectives There is a growing recognition of the importance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in mindfulness-based Teacher Training Programs (TTPs), given current imbalances in representation of teachers and trainers, and a recognised need to build awareness of personal and organisational biases. Little is known about how EDI issues may impact the experience of trainees on a TTP. This study aimed to explore underrepresented trainees’ experiences on a TTP, including what hindered or helped them access training or feel included, and their views on how best to foster EDI in TTPs. Method Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seven current and graduate mindfulness teacher trainees from underrepresented groups. Their experiences of EDI throughout training were explored. Data was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Key findings were that feelings of inclusion were influenced by how represented and acknowledged trainees felt by their trainers and peers; feelings of safety influenced their choices around disclosure; a main access barrier was cost; and more explicit teaching about EDI in TTP curricula is needed. There was a need for wider access to entry trainings such as 8-week mindfulness-based programmes. Conclusions This study provides valuable insight into how underrepresented teacher trainees experience TTPs and highlights opportunities to better support mindfulness teacher trainees. TTPs need to integrate EDI awareness and understanding into their ethos and curriculum. Further research is needed to inform and develop approaches to further embed EDI in mindfulness-based program teaching and training.

Reflections on Transformation, Teamwork, and Mentoring: Student Teachers’ Self-Assessed Learning, Equality, and Equity in Competence-Based Education

<p style="text-align:justify">This research concentrated on observing academic student teachers’ teamwork, especially its effectiveness and their attitudes to collaboration and transformation, as well as their reflective, written self-assessments in relation to teamwork. Teams have been studied widely, but these kinds of special contexts are rare. The target group was higher education teachers, the context was an introduction of a new pedagogical program, and the teams acted under the guidance of mentors and occasional lecturers. Besides the content analysis, the study method was a deep analysis of the essays. The most effective positive influencers proved to be social exchanges, including mentoring, peer support, input for learning and the experiences of wellbeing. Individual distrust of working methods in teams, and emotional suspicions of their self-efficacy in transformational settings emerged as latent factors, revealing mainly the difficulty of changing traditional mindsets. The analyses offered individual and community-wide opportunities to steer education in the future.</p>

Clustering source code from automated assessment of programming assignments

AbstractClustering of source code is a technique that can help improve feedback in automated program assessment. Grouping code submissions that contain similar mistakes can, for instance, facilitate the identification of students’ difficulties to provide targeted feedback. Moreover, solutions with similar functionality but possibly different coding styles or progress levels can allow personalized feedback to students stuck at some point based on a more developed source code or even detect potential cases of plagiarism. However, existing clustering approaches for source code are mostly inadequate for automated feedback generation or assessment systems in programming education. They either give too much emphasis to syntactical program features, rely on expensive computations over pairs of programs, or require previously collected data. This paper introduces an online approach and implemented tool—AsanasCluster—to cluster source code submissions to programming assignments. The proposed approach relies on program attributes extracted from semantic graph representations of source code, including control and data flow features. The obtained feature vector values are fed into an incremental k-means model. Such a model aims to determine the closest cluster of solutions, as they enter the system, timely, considering clustering is an intermediate step for feedback generation in automated assessment. We have conducted a twofold evaluation of the tool to assess (1) its runtime performance and (2) its precision in separating different algorithmic strategies. To this end, we have applied our clustering approach on a public dataset of real submissions from undergraduate students to programming assignments, measuring the runtimes for the distinct tasks involved: building a model, identifying the closest cluster to a new observation, and recalculating partitions. As for the precision, we partition two groups of programs collected from GitHub. One group contains implementations of two searching algorithms, while the other has implementations of several sorting algorithms. AsanasCluster matches and, in some cases, improves the state-of-the-art clustering tools in terms of runtime performance and precision in identifying different algorithmic strategies. It does so without requiring the execution of the code. Moreover, it is able to start the clustering process from a dataset with only two submissions and continuously partition the observations as they enter the system.

Effectiveness of video-assisted teaching programme and mobile application on knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding management of common minor discomforts of pregnancy among primigravida mothers– A pilot study from South India

Pregnancy might lead to various physiological changes that may end up in a diversity of symptoms and frequently to gastrointestinal complaints, such as heartburn, nausea, vomiting, or constipation. With adequate information and timely care, the majority of mild problems that arise during pregnancy can be reduced.The main aim is to to evaluate the efficacy of video-assisted teaching programme and mobile applicationin improving primigravida women' knowledge, attitudes, and practices about how to handle common pregnancy discomforts.A quantitative research approach with the one group pre-test and post-test design was adopted to conduct this pilot study among a total of 20 primigravida mothers attending the PHC Centre by purposive sampling technique who were administered with video-assisted teaching having the contents on knowledge, attitude, and practice aspects regarding management of various minor discomforts of pregnancy. Knowledge, attitude, and practice were measured using structured tools at the baseline (day 1) and after the administration of video-assisted teaching with mobile app-based follow-up education on day 15. We analysed the data with descriptive to describe the variables, paired t-test to test the effectiveness, Karl Pearson’s correlation for the relationship, and Chi-square to find the association. Knowledge, attitude, and practice all showed statistically significant improvements following the implementation of the video-assisted teaching program and mobile application.The research findings indicated that video-assisted teaching along with a mobile app in their own language was found useful method of educating primigravida mothers to increase their knowledge and to generate favorable attitudes regarding the management of minor discomforts during pregnancy.

Enhancing equity in access to automated insulin delivery systems in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse group of children with type 1 diabetes

IntroductionManufacturer-supported didactic teaching programmes offer effective automated insulin delivery (AID) systems onboarding in children and young people (CYP) with type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, this approach has limited flexibility to...

A Quasi-experimental Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Program in Terms of Knowledge Regarding Road Safety Measures among School Going Students in Govt. Girls Sen. Sec. School Portmore, Shimla, (H.P.)

A Quasi-experimental Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Program in Terms of Knowledge Regarding Road Safety Measures among School Going Students in Govt. Girls Sen. Sec. School Portmore, Shimla, (H.P.)

The Impact of Large Language Models on Programming Education and Student Learning Outcomes

The Impact of Large Language Models on Programming Education and Student Learning Outcomes

Using Project ECHO to deliver a tele-mentoring and teaching program on palliative care in South Asia: Interpretive description of participants' experiences with a community of practice for learning.

To explore the learning experiences of participants (learners and teachers), in a yearlong tele-teaching and mentoring program on pediatric palliative care, which was conducted using the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) model and consisted of 27 teaching and clinical case discussion sessions for palliative medicine residents in India and Bangladesh. The goal of the study is to explore how participation and learning is motivated and sustained for both residents and teachers, including the motivators and challenges to participation and learning in a novel online format. Qualitative interviews with ECHO participants, including learners and teachers were conducted. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis of interview data was conducted within an interpretive description approach. Eleven physicians (6 residents, 5 teachers) participated in interviews. Key elements of the ECHO program which participants identified as supporting learning and participation include small group discussions, a flipped classroom, and asynchronous interactions through social media. Individual learner characteristics including effective self-reflection and personal circumstances impact learning. Providing opportunities for a diverse group of learners and teachers, to interact in communities of practice (COP) enhances learning. Three major themes and 6 subthemes describing learning processes were identified. Themes included (1) ECHO program structure, (2) learner characteristics, and (3) COP. Subthemes included flipped classroom, breakout rooms, learning resources, personal circumstances, self-awareness of learning needs, and community interactions. Project ECHO suggests a novel model to train health providers, which is effective in low- and middle-income countries. Online learning programs can lead to learning through community of practice when learners and teachers are able to interact and engage in peer support and reflective practice. Educators should consider incorporating small group discussions, a flipped classroom design, and opportunities for asynchronous interactions to enhance learning for participants in online learning programs.

In-service training for improving the quality of English language teaching in Zanzibar’s secondary schools

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate an in-service training (INSET) programme for improving the quality of English language teaching in Zanzibar’s secondary schools. Specifically, there were two objectives: i) to explore the teachers’ views on the zanzibar improvement students prospect (ZISP) training programme in improving the English language teaching techniques in secondary schools in Zanzibar and ii) to find out the organisational support provided to teachers when they are using the skills and knowledge acquired from the ZISP teaching programme. Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative research approach, particularly the case-study design. It used interviews to collect qualitative data that was analysed thematically. Twelve English language teachers from seven secondary schools who had benefited from the ZISP teaching programme and five headmasters from five schools participated in the study as respondents. Findings The study found that the ZISP training programme equipped teachers with pedagogical skills useful for preparing lessons and materials, using technology in teaching and providing timely feedback to students. In terms of support, teachers receive materials and motivation from various organisations. Research limitations/implications This study focused on ordinary teachers and headmasters. Nevertheless, other studies could use classroom observation, focus group discussion, document review or survey questionnaire to evaluate the impact of the programme and look at how the skills obtained are used in the teaching and learning of the English language. In addition, this study involved 12 participants who were teachers and headmasters, respectively. Other studies could include students, their families, employers and non-teaching staff. This would provide a holistic view of how the stakeholders perceive the INSET programme. Originality/value The study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding the benefits and organisational support teachers receive after participating in the INSET training programme in Zanzibar. Thus, teachers need regular exposure to INSET so that they improve the quality of their teaching.

Mobilising Papua New Guinea’s Conservation Humanities: Research, Teaching, Capacity Building, Future Directions

Abstract We suggest that the emerging field of the conservation humanities can play a valuable role in biodiversity protection in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where most land remains under collective customary clan ownership. As a first step to mobilising this scholarly field in PNG and to support capacity development for PNG humanities academics, we conducted a landscape review of PNG humanities teaching and research relating to biodiversity conservation and customary land rights. We conducted a systematic literature review, a PNG teaching programme review, and a series of online workshops between the authors (10 PNG-based, 7 UK-based). We found a small but notable amount of PNG research and teaching focused on biodiversity conservation or customary land rights. This included explicit discussion of these topics in 8 of 156 PNG-authored humanities texts published 2010-2020 and related teaching content in the curricula of several different humanities-based programmes. We discuss current barriers to PNG academic development. The growth of fully fledged in-country conservation humanities will require a joint collaborative effort by PNG researchers, who are best placed to carry out such work, and researchers from abroad who can access resources to support the process.

A Community of Inquiry approach to learning design in a community-engaged learning program

The Medicine in Context (MiC) program is the flagship community-engaged learning and teaching program at the Western Sydney University School of Medicine. MiC students attend placements at community organisations, General Practice clinics and face-to-face tutorials and lectures for two fiveweek blocks. Responding to students’ lack of engagement and preference for more flexible delivery modes, a blended learning approach using the Community of Inquiry framework to guide the design has been gradually introduced since 2014. The MiC webpage was revised to simplify access to key information and resources. Five lectures were transformed into online modules and one workshop was converted into a flipped classroom. Multi-media open educational resources were added to replace some reading materials. Online “Weekly Study Guide” scaffolds, paces and aligns students’ self-directed learning with MiC learning outcomes. Moving program evaluation and some assessments to an online platform enables more timely feedback. These developments have resulted in novel, engaging learning activities. Preliminary evaluation indicates students’ greater engagement with the MiC program and deeper levels of learning indicated by increased levels of reflection and the demonstration of MiC learning outcomes being satisfied.

Early Field Experiences of PTEs in ELT Programme of a State University in Türkiye

Teaching programs in Türkiye consist of a 4-year process. Internship practice takes place in the last year of this process, each in two separate terms. Prospective teachers observe, evaluate, prepare course content, and teach under the guidance of in-service English teachers in public schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education and with the support of supervisors at the faculties and complete their internship. However, the timing of the process is thought to be too late, which is carried out during the 4-year education period and where prospective teachers will be actively involved in schools/real teaching environments and gain experience. "Early Field Experience", which is also found in the world literature and has exemplary applications, has been implemented in some private universities in Türkiye today but has not yet found its place in state universities. This current research studies the subject of “Early field experience”. The present study focussed on the effects of "Early Field Experience" practice in a state university in Türkiye. The study analyses the reflections of Early Field Experience (EFE) on prospective teachers' anxiety and makes the voices of prospective teachers heard. In this convergent mixed method study, STAS (Student Teacher Anxiety Scale - Hart, 1987) was used as a quantitative data collection tool, and a semi-structured interview form consisting of open-ended questions was employed for the qualitative part. In the study, prospective teachers of English had an EFE implementation process covering 10 weeks of observation and internship. The results of the quantitative data showed that there was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores for the level of anxiety of PTEs (t=4.16; p< .05) in favour of the post-test. Findings of interviews revealed that the prospective teachers' concerns were in the areas of teaching, students’ background, classroom management, readiness to teach, and burnout before the EFE; and after the EFE, they experienced improvements in classroom management, appropriate language use, readiness to teach, experience and teaching content.

Factors Influencing Bachelor’s Degree Students’ Satisfaction

This study delves into the factors influencing the satisfaction of Bachelor's Degree students in Ostrava, Czech Republic. With a focus on scholarly quality, support, and social aspects, it investigates key determinants such as academic environment, faculty support, campus facilities, and social activities. Employing a quantitative research approach, survey data from 30 participants were analyzed. Results reveal that factors like teaching methods, learning environment, and program affordability significantly impact satisfaction levels. The findings highlight the multidimensional nature of student satisfaction. For clarity purposes, it is necessary to highlight that the results of this research paper are drawn from a preliminary research study that was conducted in 2024 in the City of Ostrava in the Czech Republic.