Instructional Tool Research Articles

Assessment Of Teachers’ Competence In Utilization Of Digital Instructional Tools In Upper Basic Schools In Cross River State, Nigeria

Assessment Of Teachers’ Competence In Utilization Of Digital Instructional Tools In Upper Basic Schools In Cross River State, Nigeria

Using TED Talks Videos to Improve Speaking Skills Among Secondary Students in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

This study investigates the incorporation of TED Talks videos as a pedagogical tool in secondary language instruction, with a specific emphasis on improving speaking fluency and students' attitudes toward learning. By recognizing the increasing importance of multimedia in language acquisition, the research aims to uncover the tangible benefits of integrating TED Talks videos into language lessons. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design with control and experimental groups, the study combined quantitative analysis of pre-tests and post-tests with qualitative insights gathered from a Likert questionnaire. The outcomes strongly indicated that students exposed to TED Talks videos exhibit significant advancements in their as indicated by the significant mean value of post-test scores between the experimental and control groups. Additionally, the research highlights the pivotal role of authentic materials in enhancing motivation and fostering positive learning attitudes. This research also delved into the wider implications of these findings for language instruction, underscoring the potential of multimedia resources to revolutionize conventional teaching methodologies. Beyond the classroom, the research envisions an education landscape where innovative techniques, such as the incorporation of TED Talks videos, reshape language teaching. By addressing pedagogical and motivational facets, the study advocates for contemporary resources to create engaging and effective learning experiences. The research encourages educators to explore how multimedia interacts with diverse learners and cultural contexts, ultimately promoting dynamic instructional approaches aligned with evolving educational needs.

EXPLORING THE CHALLENGES FACED BY TEACHERS IN TEACHING WRITING SKILLS AND HOW ANCHOR CHARTS CAN ADDRESS THEM

This qualitative study explores challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills and evaluates the effectiveness of anchor charts in addressing them. Conducted with 20 experienced teachers from major cities in Java Island, Indonesia, through semi-structured interviews, the findings reveal common challenges, including student apathy, limited instructional time, varied abilities, organization difficulties, resource constraints, assessment struggles, and diverse genre incorporation challenges. Anchor charts emerged as a powerful instructional tool, promoting student engagement, writing organization, clarity, and coherence. Students showed increased enthusiasm and motivation, while charts facilitated improved writing structure and coherence. In conclusion, anchor charts offer a promising solution to address the challenges faced by teachers in teaching writing skills. By incorporating anchor charts in writing instruction, educators can create visually engaging and interactive learning experiences that empower students to become proficient and confident writers.The study contributes practical recommendations, aligns with cognitive process and social constructivist theories, and emphasizes the value of visual aids to foster active learning and engagement. The study suggests future research with larger samples, longitudinal and cross-cultural approaches to enrich understanding. In conclusion, anchor charts integration fosters proficient and confident writers in effective expression.

Enhancing Competency of Cybersecurity Through Implementation of the “CAPTURE THE FLAG” On College in Indonesia

Academic institutions encounter several challenges when it comes to determining the most effective pedagogical approaches for enhancing their students' proficiency in the domain of cybersecurity. Conversely, cybersecurity gamification, exemplified by Capture the Flag (CTF) events in the industry, is widely considered an appropriate avenue for fostering cybersecurity learning. This research endeavors to assess the effectiveness of employing gamification as an instructional tool to enhance cybersecurity competency within the college context. The study employs a quantitative research method, adopting an experimental approach with a pre-experimental design. The research findings reveal the following key points 1) the implementation of gamification resulted in a significant enhancement of students' competency in cryptography, web vulnerability, and overall cybersecurity, 2) the gamification experiment demonstrated a stronger influence on enhancing practical skills as opposed to theoretical knowledge, 3) the evaluation of gamification's effectiveness in augmenting cybersecurity competency yielded a medium level (medium-g) of efficacy, reaching 65.91%. Although the medium level of effectiveness was observed in the context of gamification, it should be acknowledged that gamification holds substantial potential for advancing cybersecurity competency. For the attainment of optimal improvement in cybersecurity skills, a consistent and regular integration of gamification is recommended, while concurrently addressing the three pillars of cybersecurity. Furthermore, the utilization of gamification also presents opportunities for cultivating cybersecurity incident handling capabilities and the simulation of cyberwarfare scenarios

Exploring the Efficacy of Utilizing Song Texts as an Instructional Tool for Teaching the Present Perfect Tenses

Teaching grammar has always posed challenges for English teachers due to the tendency for it to be perceived as boring, resulting in disinterest and poor retention among learners. This study investigates the effectiveness of incorporating songs as an instructional tool for teaching the present perfect tenses in the context of English language learning. It explores whether songs can facilitate a deeper understanding of the tenses’ usage, promote accurate application in authentic contexts, and enhance learners' overall interest in learning English as a second language. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative measurements of learners' performance on a grammar test with qualitative data gathered through focus group discussions. The results indicate that the group taught through the use of songs demonstrated significantly better test scores compared to the control group. Moreover, the qualitative analysis revealed students' positive perceptions of using songs, emphasizing the engaging and enjoyable nature of this approach. The findings align with previous research, highlighting the benefits of using songs in language learning, including increased motivation, engagement, and language proficiency. These results contribute to the growing body of research supporting the incorporation of music into language instruction and suggest its potential as an effective instructional tool for enhancing grammar proficiency. Further research is recommended to strengthen the generalizability of these findings and explore the underlying factors that contribute to the effectiveness of using songs in language learning contexts. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of embracing innovative and creative approaches to create meaningful language learning experiences for students.

Utilizing a Three-Step technique to Incorporate Video Song Clips for Teaching English Vocabulary to EFL Students

This paper presents a study that employed video song clips as an instructional tool for imparting English vocabulary to Taiwanese EFL university freshmen. The research incorporated three well-known songs performed by renowned artists, which were readily available on YouTube. A pretest-posttest control-group design was employed, wherein the treatment group (consisting of 28 participants) received English conversation lessons accompanied, in part, by English songs, while the control group (comprising 25 individuals) underwent conventional teaching methods devoid of video clips. The study spanned three consecutive regular sessions, with approximately the final 25 minutes of each session dedicated to this experimental approach. Both groups were subjected to a 30-item English vocabulary assessment created by the researcher, encompassing words drawn from the song lyrics, both before and after the instructional intervention. A statistical independent samples T-test was employed to analyze the data, revealing a significant increase in scores for the treatment group. This paper suggests a three-step methodology for utilizing video song clips, which can be conveniently implemented to assist EFL students in enhancing their repertoire of English vocabulary.

Navigating Multicultural Curriculum Reform: EFL Teachers' Use of Movie-based Cultural Content

This paper chronicles the outcomes of a semester-long study involving 560 lesson plans by 39 teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in two separate language centers in Rabat Morocco. The objective of this study is to report on the practices of EFL teachers when using movie-based cultural content for Multicultural Education (ME) purposes, as instructed by James Banks (2002) Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum Reform. Two research questions guided the current study: (1) do EFL teachers incorporate movies into their lesson planning for multicultural purposes? (2) Are ELF teachers’ lesson plans compatible with the principles of ME of curriculum reform? To respond to these research questions, a qualitative research design was adopted, involving content analysis of the cultural contents in the corpora of lesson plans collected. The findings revealed that EFL teachers primarily used movie-based content as instructional tools for language acquisition rather than for cultural exploration. In addition to that, teachers’ lesson plans indicate a deficiency in the progressive integration of ME approaches to multicultural curriculum reform, as their content does not reflect either the principles of the Transformative Approach (AP) or the Decision-Making & Social Action Approach (DM&SAA). The study concludes by a series of recommendations to navigate Multicultural curriculum reform through the use of movie-based cultural content.

Importance of Blogging in Language Teaching

It is widely acknowledged that teachers should support student autonomy and encourage learners to develop foreign language skills outside the classroom to keep learners motivated enough to show the possibility of using languages in the immediate future outside class. Incorporation of technology in classrooms is considered one of the effective tools that brings a lot of opportunities and fun in language teaching and learning. However, applying technology in language teaching shouldn’t be only fun. Following paper introduces how blogging can be used as an instructional tool for language learning and teaching considering several important basic benefits such as effects on building intercultural competence, enhancing student interaction and communication , improving basic language skills, boosting learner motivation and language authenticity, as effective assessment technique and a great learner autonomy builder. Wrede (2003) states that if teachers want students to become autonomous, creative, and cooperative individuals, educational institutions must actually allow them to practice exactly these skills by incorporating blogging into curriculum since it fosters dynamic motivation for learning through authentic practice of language learning.

Challenges in addressing student difficulties with basics and change of basis for two-state quantum systems using a multiple-choice question sequence in online and in-person classes

Research-validated multiple-choice questions comprise an easy-to-implement instructional tool for scaffolding student learning and providing formative assessment of students’ knowledge. We present findings from the implementation of a research-validated multiple-choice question sequence on the basics of two-state quantum systems, including inner products, outer products, translation between Dirac notation and matrix representation in a particular basis, and change of basis. This study was conducted in an advanced undergraduate quantum mechanics course, in both online and in-person learning environments, across three years. For each cohort, students had their learning assessed after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant concepts before engaging with the multiple-choice question sequence. Their performance was evaluated again afterward with a similar assessment and compared to their earlier performance. We analyze, compare, and discuss the trends observed in the three implementations.

Reel critical: using film to teach Indigenous studies in the elementary classroom

PurposeFilm has long been an instructional tool in social studies education; however, most research and methods for using film to teach social studies are situated at the secondary level. As such, the purpose of this study was to extend and expand what is known about using film in elementary social studies classrooms. More specifically, this qualitative content analysis study explored how and why elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) used film clips from Molly of Denali to design critical Indigenous studies lessons. The data offer insight into the possibilities of using film as a strategy to teach anti-oppressive elementary social studies education.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used qualitative content analysis in this study. Data for this study included 17 lesson planning assignments and corresponding written rationales completed by PSTs in an elementary social studies methods course. Data collected as a result of convenience sampling, given both the authors were the instructors of the methods course. To analyze the data, the authors used a multi-step coding process and a combination of inductive and deductive coding.FindingsGrounded in a framework of anti-oppressive and anti-colonial education, PSTs designed elementary social studies lessons that used film clips from Molly of Denali to increase representation, center a counter-narrative and serve as a motivator. PSTs also infused other sources into their lesson plans, thus extending their lessons beyond the film.Originality/valueGiven the lack of research on how film can be used in elementary social studies classrooms, this study fills a void in the literature. Results of this study suggest that similar to the benefits of using film in secondary classrooms, film can be an engaging and motivating source of information for elementary students. Moreover, when used within a critical pedagogical framework like Sabzalian's (2019) critical orientations of Indigenous studies, film can increase representation and teach anti-oppressive counter-narratives in the elementary classroom.

Professional Ability System and Effective Strategies in Enhancing Teaching Competence Among Mathematics Student Teachers

This study compares mathematics student-teachers' professional ability system and instructional practices. Content, pedagogical, technical, classroom management, and reflective practice were examined as part of their professional ability system. Modeling, guided practice, co-teaching, differentiation, technology integration, formative assessment, and collaborative learning were also assessed. The study also examined if student-teachers' professional ability system affects their math teaching practices. Content knowledge and effective teaching practices, especially modeling and guided practice, are strongly correlated. Teaching tactics and pedagogical knowledge are strongly correlated, underscoring their value in guided practice and collaborative learning. Although technological skill has a moderate association, it is essential for using digital tools in mathematics instruction. Collaboration in teaching is highly linked to classroom management skills. Modeling, guided practice, and formative assessment are strongly correlated with pedagogical content knowledge. Reflective practice is linked to all teaching styles, demonstrating its importance in improving mathematics education and permitting varied teaching methods. Modeling is linked to content, pedagogical, and reflective practice in teaching methodologies. Guided practice correlates well with content, pedagogical, and reflective practice. Classroom management and pedagogical content knowledge are closely related to co-teaching. Differentiation tactics strongly correlate with reflective practice and technical competency. Classroom management and reflective practice are strongly correlated with technology integration. The association between formative evaluation and reflective practice and differentiation is substantial. Reflective practice and differentiation are strongly linked in collaborative learning environments. For effective mathematics instruction, a full professional ability system must include topic knowledge, pedagogical understanding, technical competence, classroom management skills, and reflective practice. These components enable varied teaching methodologies, improving mathematical education. These components together shape effective mathematics instruction, as shown by the substantial correlations.

Effects of Physics Alphabet Model on the mean achievement of student’s performance

This study focuses on the development and assessment of an instructional tool known as the “Physics Alphabet Model” for Grade 10 students at Cantilan National High School. The research employs a descriptive design and post-test scores to measure the tool’s effectiveness. Each group, consisting of 30 students, is divided into a control group and an experimental group, where the experimental group is exposed to the Physics Alphabet Model as an instructional aid. The teaching method employed for both groups is the Conventional Method, and the integration of the Physics Alphabet Model occurs within the respective classrooms of the participants. After collecting and analyzing the test scores from both groups, it becomes evident that there is a notable improvement in mean scores between the pre-test and post-test assessments for both methods. Statistical analysis, specifically the T-test, indicates a significant difference when comparing the means of pre-test and post-test scores for both the control and experimental groups. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the post-test mean score and the associated significance value obtained when integrating the Physics Alphabet Model are significantly higher than those achieved through the Conventional Method alone. Consequently, this study concludes that the incorporation of the Physics Alphabet Model as an instructional resource in the study of physics leads to a substantial enhancement in students’ mean achievement scores.

Applications of Data Literacy to Course Design in Sport Performance Analytics

With sport now fully immersed in the era of big data, there is a need for sport managers who are data literate and, therefore, capable of collecting, managing, evaluating, and applying data to the range of problems and scenarios encountered by industry personnel. However, many in the sport management academy remain unacquainted with the development and delivery of sports analytics courses, unsure of the methods and means by which they can equip students with the necessary skills. This is particularly true in sport performance analytics, the version of sports analytics popularized in the book and movie Moneyball and representative of data analyses applied to the competitive side of sport. Although prior literature has provided pedagogical guidance for instructors in the areas of general data analytics or sport business analytics, sports analytics in this traditional sense has largely been ignored. Using the data literacy framework, this manuscript outlines procedures for designing and delivering an applied course in sport performance analytics. It further provides prospective implementers with effective instructional tools and an overview of the challenges likely to be encountered in this arena.

A Comprehensive Review of Bloom’s Taxonomy Integration to Enhancing Novice EFL Educators’ Pedagogical Impact

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a logically sequenced structure depicting the cognitive skills required for students to grasp knowledge comprehensively and meaningfully. The integration of Bloom’s Taxonomy into education promotes mastering the cognitive skills and analytical ability of learners. In this review article, the significance of integrating the taxonomy into instructional frameworks for novice teachers in the EFL context was explored. This article also aims to signify the importance of using Bloom’s Taxonomy as an instructional tool and aid for new teachers to help connect their theoretical knowledge with practical implementation in the classroom setting. Additionally, it focuses to revolve around the following research questions: What are the benefits of integrating Bloom’s Taxonomy into the teaching methods used by English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, and how does it contribute to improving language learning outcomes and teaching effectiveness? Through a thorough examination of existing literature on integrating Bloom’s Taxonomy in the EFL context, this article presents evidence that showcases how Bloom’s Taxonomy empowers novice teachers to create more organized, diverse, and student-oriented lessons. The results of this review analysis demonstrate that using Bloom’s Taxonomy provides EFL teachers with a guide and diverse set of tools to support the development of language skills and cognitive abilities suitable for all types of learners. The review article goes beyond addressing the challenges that novice teachers face, offering a framework that helps new educators master their teaching skills which could result in better language acquisition for EFL students.

Critical Reading of Informational Texts (CRIT) Scaffold: Evaluating the efficacy of an instructional scaffold for reading multiple scientific texts

Developing critical processing of online information is one important mission of schooling in the 21st century. However, science teachers often lack an instructional tool they can integrate into existing curricula to support students’ information processing. This study aims to examine the efficacy of the Critical Reading of Informational Texts (CRIT) scaffold on students’ critical integrative argumentation - the dialogic process of weighing, evaluating, and integrating scientific claims. The present study documented the design of the CRIT scaffold to support both critical evaluation and integration of online scientific information. Initial efficacy evidence from a cluster-randomized control group study demonstrated that students who used the scaffold produced written task products that had higher overall argumentative quality and were more likely to support evidence-based conclusions about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), weigh claims using source and evidence quality, and engage in refutation by countering specific claims based on why they are flawed.

The Influence of the ARIAS (Assurance, Relevance, Interest, Assessment, and Satisfaction) Learning Model Assisted by Documentary Film Media on Enhancing Expository Text Writing Skills in Grade X Students at Senior High School in Bandung

The limited proficiency of high school students in Bandung City composing expository texts. This can be attributed partly to the teachers' constrained experience in devising effective pedagogical models. Consequently, the researchers endeavoured to develop the ARIAS learning model, which incorporates documentary film media as an instructional tool and subsequently evaluated its efficacy in teaching expository text composition. The research methodology employed in this study was rooted in the research and development paradigm. The findings conclusively demonstrated the effectiveness of the ARIAS learning model, complemented by the use of documentary film media, for instructing Grade X students in high schools throughout Bandung City. A notable disparity emerged between the expository text composition instruction in the control group and the experimental group, as confirmed by the T-test results, which yielded a two-tailed p-value of 0.003, well below the established significance level (α) of 0.05 (0.003 < 0.05). This success was further underscored by the variance in average scores between the control class's pretest (55.10) and the experimental class's post-test (74.08). The outcome of this research endeavor is formulating the ARIAS learning model, complemented by documentary film media, to instruct expository text composition. The triumph of this model positions it as a viable alternative for teaching expository text writing, as it actively engages students in the learning process, facilitating the student's personal exploration. Keywords: Expository text, ARIAS, Development, Learning model.

Effectiveness and Utility of Flowcharts on Learning in a Classroom Setting: A Mixed-Methods Study

ObjectiveGraphical representation of information organizes and promotes meaningful learning. As an example of graphical organizers, flowcharts can simplify and summarize complex information. The evidence of classroom use of flowcharts as an instructional tool is unclear. We investigated the effectiveness of flowcharts on student learning as an in-class instructional tool in a cardiovascular therapeutic course. Student experiences with the use and application of flowcharts were explored. MethodsAn explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted with pharmacy students enrolled in an acute-care cardiovascular course from 2019–2021. The quantitative phase comprised a survey to determine flowchart effectiveness and a comparison of student performance in three content areas. The qualitative phase of the study used focused group interviews to understand student perceptions of flowchart use. ResultsSurvey results indicated that using flowcharts improved understanding (110/128, 86%), integration of material (114/128, 89%), and overall knowledge (111/128, 87%). Student performance in the 3 content areas, shock, arrhythmia, and acute coronary syndrome were statistically significant with flowcharts implementation. Emerging themes from student interviews were (1) used as a medium for retention and recall, (2) used as a study tool, and (3) used as a decision-making framework. ConclusionFlowcharts provide an alternative approach to teaching complex content, which allows students to organize and summarize information that promotes meaningful learning. The ease of implementation combined with the generalized nature of flowcharts makes it an effective graphical organizer that can be used across various disciplines

Expanding an Education-based Collision Detection System Created on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtually enhancing the real environment with augmented reality (AR) has lots of potential but is still in the early stages of research. The definition of appropriate user interfaces (UIs) is complicated by the absence of standards and the growing complexity of interaction opportunities. Several educators have discussed the advantages of XR for students as well as the use of AR and VR in the laboratory. Utilizing AR and VR to create immersive learning experiences is challenging since it takes time and effort to construct instructional AR and VR tools, apps, or educational settings. Because of this, even though these new technologies are said to help today’s students, their implementation in education may be postponed or stopped. In this research, the usage of XR technologies in education has been investigated through the examination of websites, technical papers, reports, and mobile app stores. This research study proposes a collision detection algorithm (CDA) utilizing machine learning. In order to aid in the identification of the meeting of two objects in the virtual environment, the collision detection method is employed in applications that support augmented reality and simulated reality technologies. In this study, mean, standard deviation and error parameters were utilized to analyze competitions that were related to augmented reality and virtual reality.

Developing and using a scalable assessment to measure preservice elementary teachers' content knowledge for teaching about matter

AbstractThere is strong agreement in science teacher education of the importance of teachers' content knowledge for teaching (CKT), which includes their subject matter knowledge and their pedagogical content knowledge. However, there are limited instruments that can be easily administered and scored on a large scale to assess and study elementary science teachers' CKT. Such measures would support strategic monitoring of large groups of science teachers' CKT and the investigation of comparative questions about science teachers' CKT longitudinally across the professional continuum or across teacher education or professional development sites. To address this gap, this study focused on designing an automatically scorable summative assessment that can be used to measure preservice elementary teachers' (PSETs') CKT in one high‐leverage science content area: matter and its interactions. We conducted a field test of this CKT instrument with 822 PSETs from across the United States and used the response data to examine how this instrument functions as a potential tool for measuring PSETs' CKT in this science content area. Results suggest this instrument is reliable and can be used on large scale to support valid inferences about PSETs' CKT in this content area. In addition, the dimensionality analysis showed that all items measure a single construct of CKT about matter and its interactions, as participants did not show any differential performance by content topic or work of teaching science instructional tool categories. Implications for progressing the field's understanding of the nature of CKT and approaches to developing summative instruments to assess science teachers' CKT are discussed.

Improving Students’ Collaborative Learning Experiences within a Game-Based Augmented Reality Learning Environment

In today’s post-COVID 19 world, the need to re-establish and strengthen collaborative activities is crucial in improving their learning experiences, and technology has become more prevalent as an enabler and a necessity to support this. Therefore there is a need for the development of student learning approaches that can capture their learning experiences and bridge the gap between formal learning and a more authentic, collaborative approach towards learning. Research has suggested that the use of emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) have been conducive in promoting better understanding of complex and difficult content in classes and offer learners the rich and engaging learning experience of visualizing course content, but have not yet been fully evaluated for their effectiveness in improving the learning experiences of students. As such, this study sought to design a game-based AR environment that investigated students’ attitudes and perceptions of using game-based AR, within a Team-Based Learning (TBL) class structure in their learning process, and its impact on student learning experiences. 56 Undergraduate level students participated in this mixed method research study and in this game-based AR learning environment. Data was collected on their attitudes and triangulated to obtain the study’s results. Findings showed that students were motivated to learn more, that the learning environment improved their collaboration, and were positive to having such learning experiences in their future courses, and a game-based AR learning framework, GALE, was presented. Such findings have important implications for the use of augmented reality as an instructional tool in 21st century learning environments.