University Learning Research Articles

Provision and Utilization of Physical Resources for Effective Teaching and Learning Effectiveness in Public Universities in Rivers State

The paper explores the role of physical resources in effective teaching and learning in public universities in Rivers State. It emphasizes the importance of managing resources such as money, computers, teaching technology, and internet facilities to achieve educational goals. The paper is based on Wernerfelt's Resource-Based Theory, which suggests that organizations can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage through strategic and efficient use of physical resources. The study concludes that effective provision and utilization of physical resources are crucial for the success of teaching and learning in public universities. It suggests that a multifaceted approach, including infrastructure development, technological integration, library enrichment, and accommodation considerations, can create an environment conducive to academic excellence and a holistic learning experience. The paper also suggests that the state government should establish mechanisms to improve transparency and accountability in the use of physical resources to ensure efficient allocation of funds towards educational priorities.

Integration of Mobile Learning Technologies in Afghanistan Universities: Opportunities and Challenges

This study investigates the adoption and integration of mobile learning technologies in Afghanistan universities, aiming to assess the current status, challenges, opportunities, and perceptions surrounding mobile learning initiatives in these institutions. The research employed a quantitative approach, utilizing surveys distributed via Google Forms to gather data from stakeholders. A sample size of 200 students and educators across various disciplines and geographical locations within Afghanistan universities was utilized. The results section presents various findings, including gender distribution among students, reliability and validity measures of study aspects, adoption rates of mobile learning technologies, perception of infrastructure availability, extent of existing initiatives, integration into the curriculum, satisfaction with accessibility, and perception of effectiveness and accessibility. Noteworthy results include equitable gender representation in enrollment, robust reliability and validity measures, higher adoption rates of mobile learning technologies among female respondents, positive perceptions of infrastructure availability and existing initiatives, moderate integration into the curriculum, and generally satisfactory accessibility. However, disparities exist in the perception of effectiveness and accessibility between genders, highlighting areas for improvement. In conclusion, the study provides valuable insights into the current landscape of mobile learning in Afghan public universities, underscoring the importance of addressing gender disparities and technological barriers to further enhance educational outcomes. Recommendations for future research and implications for stakeholders are discussed, emphasizing the need for gender-sensitive approaches and targeted interventions to maximize the potential of mobile learning technologies in advancing higher education in Afghanistan.

한국 프랑스어 전공 대학학습자의 프랑스어 인터넷 신문기사의 장르파악을 위한 읽기 활동 고찰

Objectives This study aimed to investigate the communicative competence and reading strategies employed by Korean university learners majoring in French in actual reading activities, with the overarching goal of enhancing communicative competence through reading education.
 Methods To achieve this, the study focused on reading activities related to genre identification in French online newspaper articles. Ten Korean university students majoring in French and six native speakers participated in the reading experiment. The study utilized an eye-tracker and specifically analyzed fixation times (gaze duration, re-reading, and total reading time) required when reading words of the section and words indicating publication dates, based on information obtained from interviews.
 Results Participants, driven by the reading goal of genre identification, selectively identified and integrated spatially dispersed words and phrases in the text, understanding the genre through their different interactions. Fixation times required to read words of the section and words indicating publication dates revealed differences between native speakers and Korean participants. In the case of native readers, who were considered experienced readers, fixation times were longer for words of the section, regardless of syllabic length, referential competence, or reading path. On the other hand, for Korean participants who were considered inexperienced readers in French reading, fixation times were influenced by syllabic length, comprehension, and reading path.
 Conclusions The study highlighted that participants utilized communicative competence and selection strategies in reading activities aimed at genre identification. However, differences in reading aspects between the two groups indicated a particular deficiency in discourse competence among Korean participants in terms of communicative competence. In response, a pedagogical strategy that combines the teaching method ‘global approach to written texts' and Findlay and Walker's theory, an eye movement control model, was proposed. The research confirmed that understanding reading activity aspects is a meaningful approach to examining the (foreign language) communicative competence used by learners. It also emphasized the need for active reading that goes beyond relying solely on text, considering the characteristics of (non)linguistic elements provided by the text.

The antecedent, consequences, and importance of students’ learning preference on learning outcomes with the flipped classroom approach: a person-environment fit perspective

Flipped learning performance is possible to be improved when there is an alignment between students’ learning preferences and educators’ chosen pedagogy, especially in the student-centered learning context. Adopting pretest-posttest research design among students in diverse academic disciplines (Study 1: N = 361; Study 2: N = 408), this research revealed the antecedents of learning experience on learning preference and showed the temporal consequences of initial learning preference on the end-of-course twenty first century competencies. The findings supported that individual attributes outweigh external factors in university learning, and these varied across disciplines. The findings highlighted the implications for the flipped classroom and support for the constructivist movement.

Intercultural Communicative Competence in English Teaching and Learning for Islamic Universities: Students Perceptions and Expectations

This research delves into the realm of intercultural communicative competence within the context of English teaching and learning, specifically focusing on Islamic universities. The study centers on the perceptions and expectations of students regarding this competence. By exploring the intersection of language, culture, and education, the research aims to provide insights into how students enrolled in Islamic universities conceptualize intercultural communicative competence as part of their English language education. Through a qualitative approach, the study analyzes students' perspectives from three Islamic universities to uncover their attitudes, beliefs, and anticipated outcomes related to intercultural communication in an academic setting. The findings hold implications for curriculum development, pedagogical approaches, and the enhancement of cross-cultural understanding within English language programs at Islamic universities.

The mental health of college students and the level of academic achievement: Knowledge about psychological well-being, self-control, and college learning

The mental health of college students and the level of academic achievement: Knowledge about psychological well-being, self-control, and college learning

MOROCCAN EFL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ RELIANCE ON GOAL-SETTING AND BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE IN PROCESSING ENGLISH (L3) WRITTEN TEXTS: AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY

The present study investigates the extent to which EFL university learners engage in metacognitive planning strategies for conducting the multifaceted process of reading in an effectual, self-regulated manner. Addressing this set objective, this exploratory study, which is part and parcel of my unpublished dissertation (defended in 2015) dealing with the interplay between metacognition and EFL reading, targeted 113 Moroccan English department students (Group 1: N=50; Group 2: N=63) pursuing their English Language Studies at the first-semester level. The data were elicited from the respondents employing two advanced-level EFL reading comprehension texts (i.e., narrative, expository) and a retrospective questionnaire. The attained results indicate that the targeted EFL groups (Group 1 & Group 2) did have recourse to their background knowledge as an efficient platform for generating an effective sense of the assigned written discourse without setting explicit, self-directed goals prior to processing the textual content. Thus, some pertinent recommendations falling within the parameters of pedagogy and research as well as a few limitations are presented.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0769/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

University learners’ educational experience survey: a gender dimensional analysis

University learners’ educational experience survey: a gender dimensional analysis

Perceptions of Faculty Members on Using Moodle as a Learning Management System in Distance Education

In order to understand how faculty members, feel about using Moodle as a learning management system (LMS) tool for teaching and learning in Jordanian universities, a mixed-methods study was conducted. Surveys and interviews were used to gather the data. 270 professors from three Jordanian universities took part in the study. The results show that while the participating faculty members thought using Moodle in instruction was a useful teaching tool, they weren't happy with it. The Internet crisis, interaction, the need for education for electronic platforms, online tests, and self-regulation were among the difficulties mentioned by these participants. The potential use of Moodle in education is encouraged through pedagogical implication. In conclusion, the implementation of the Moodle system for distance learning has been very remarkable in recent years. The effectiveness of its use depends on the active involvement of business managers and the willingness of teachers to adopt e-learning. By addressing the challenges ahead and providing incentives for faculty, universities can ensure success and use of the system. As the use of the Moodle LMS continues to grow, it is important to focus on the development of the tool and provide ongoing support to improve its effectiveness and impact on distance education.

사이버대학 학습경험 요소 도출을 위한 키워드 네트워크 분석

Objectives As a basic research for studying cyber university learning experience, this study aims to structurally identify the main elements and relationships that make up the learning experience by analyzing previous studies related to cyber university learners using the keyword network method.
 Methods Keyword network analysis was conducted on 75 keywords related to 'cyber university', 'distance uni-versity', and 'learning' published in domestic academic journals. The keyword network analysis focused on weight-ed connectivity, dominance centrality, proximity centrality, and mediation centrality, and the ego network analysis was conducted for the main keywords cyber university, cyber university learners, and online education.
 Results As a result of examining the overall network structure of cyber university + learner-related research, the keywords learning performance, sense of presence, self-direction, satisfaction, and academic continuation were analyzed as major keywords in the weighted connectivity section. As a result of ego network analysis targeting the top three keywords of weighted connectivity, power centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality: cyber university, cyber university learner, and online education, the cyber university ego network was analyzed in the order of learning performance, academic continuation, and sense of presence.
 Conclusions Cyber University is entering its maturity stage as it turns 20. The reality is that the patterns of cyber university learners have also diversified. Therefore, by understanding the diversity and context of various cyber university learners, it is necessary to be able to prescribe the learning difficulties they are experiencing. In addition, it was found that when studying cyber universities, the characteristics of online education and the changing digital environment must be kept in mind.

``We Walk on the Same Corridors of Our University'': Contemporary Reflections of Sinhala--Tamil Relations in Sri Lankan Public Universities

Inter-ethnic relations amongst students in public higher education institutes (HEIs) in Sri Lanka are weak. This deficit deprives students of experiencing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to be productive citizens the country demands. Considering the violent history both Sinhalese and Tamils share, there is a dearth of minority discourse in Sri Lanka. As a consequence, research that explores inter-ethnic dynamics within public HEIs in the island nation is also minimal. Similarly, being mindful of the fragileness of Sri Lanka’s race relations, it is unclear how responsible local authorities should facilitate educational reforms to foster student success. To address this literature gap, the present inquiry conducted a document review to identify contemporary student and instructor perspectives associated with learning in state-run universities. A total of nine newspapers and blog posts by students, journalists, and academics that critically discuss learner experiences in minority-dominant Jaffna University were chosen after a careful evaluation. Using thematic analysis, three key themes were generated. As per the obtained results, inclusiveness and appreciation between Tamils and Sinhalese learners remain a challenge. Moreover, local security forces continue to suppress minority student voices, leadership, and civic engagement. Further, there is a need for governmental interventions to systematically implement DEI policies to improve the quality of learning spheres for students. Overall, this interpretative research lays out key observations associated with race relations in Sri Lankan HEIs.
 Keywords: diversity, inclusion, minority groups, interethnic relations, multiculturalism, cultural awareness

PRACTICE-ORIENTED LEARNING AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THEDUAL FORM OF EDUCATION

The current stage of development of higher vocational education includes a change in the result-oriented basis of training (knowledge, skills, abilities) to a competence-based model of training. The requirements for the results of mastering an educational programme include general and professional competences that are necessary for awarding a graduate with an appropriate qualification. The introduction of a competency-based approach in the national education system requires fundamental changes in all its components, including the development of content, methods and teaching technologies. We consider the active introduction of practice-oriented learning technologies as an important component of the dual form of education to be timely, since this will allow training a specialist aimed at the prompt performance of professional tasks. The article analyses the content, purpose, technologies and conditions for the implementation of practiceoriented learning in dual universities in Germany and Austria. The results of surveys of students and employers on the effectiveness of practice-oriented learning in dual universities are presented. It is established that the prerequisites for the implementation of practice-oriented learning are: the use of real practical tasks in educational activities; modelling of a practical situation should take place in a group form of education; use of interdisciplinary connections. It is stated that the fulfilment of all these requirements will contribute to the creation of a practice-oriented environment in the educational process, which implements educational and professionally oriented functions.

Inquiry in mathematics: studying a professional development measure for university lecturers

This paper reflects on the Inquiry-Based Mathematics Education approach and the professional development of university mathematics lecturers. The main focus is on task re-design as a key aspect of subject matter focussed lecturer training. The professionalisation activity we have established is rooted in a framework developed by the European project Partnership for the Learning And Teaching IN University Mathematics (PLATINUM). The focus of this paper is a didactic instrument developed within this project and implemented in the training activity. We focus on challenges, leeways and scope for actions that arise in the design and implementation of mathematical tasks for an inquiry-based teaching. For the empirical analyses, we use data from a professional activity carried out at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain, jointly by a team from Madrid and Hannover.

Financial sustainability of higher education system

Purpose- Financial sustainability is vital for the higher education systems in the global competitive atmosphere of the world of 2020s. This paper reviews a comparative analysis between the budgets and expenditures of the Turkish and British higher education systems, beside a view on those of the OECD countries. This paper intends to clarify Turkish higher education system’s difficulties in financial sustainability to provide required academic standards due to increasing costs and number of students versus the economic strength of significant actors such as the United Kingdom in the globalized competition. For this reason, this paper advocates cost advantages provided by the application of effective online education model to acquire financial sustainability clarifying the rise of digital universities by the 2030s. Methodology-. The study employs a literature review aiming to perform a comparative analysis on the financial structures of Turkish and British higher education systems. Moreover, OECD data were also reflected. The aim was to identify the possible difficulties of Turkish higher education system in financial sustainability to provide required academic standards in the competitive global area and find a contemporary solution. Findings- The analysis reveals that the Turkish higher education system have disadvantages in providing financial sustainability under the conditions of increasing costs as well as number of students in order to reach the required standards in the global league. Notably, it is clearly seen that efective application of online education strategy is an opportunity to balance revenues and expenditures in this way. As a matter of the fact, the effect of digital transformation era and the attitude of Generation Z students have already prepared this atmosphere. Conclusion-. Governments highly financed higher education systems after 20th Century. However, financial problems emerged due to increasing number of students and increasing costs. Eventhough the budgets had continuously been increased, Turkish higher education system have realized lower expenditures in the OECD average. Problems in financial sustainability to provide required academic standards have clearly been noticed in the global competitive atmosphere while compared with the example of the United Kingdom. Over the Covid-19 crisis, universities successfully implemented hybrid education around the world increasing the effect of online systems forced by Generation Z’s perspective on embracing Digital Technologies. So, effective application of online education model appeared as a new opportunity for Turkish higher education system to provide financial sustainability decreasing costs and also efficiently compete in the global area. Indeed, blended learning in traditional universities and inevitable growth of digital higher education institutions named as University 5.0 will be seen after 2030s. Keywords: Higher education, university, financial sustainability, Turkiye, United Kingdom, online education JEL Codes: I22, I23, M10, M21

STEAM pedagogy in foreign language education: An endeavour to broaden CLIL pedagogy through 6E’s framework

This study addressed the dilemma in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teaching. It argued that a STEAM pedagogy (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) can inform and broaden CLIL pedagogy through 6E’s framework (engage, explore, explain, engineer, enrich, and evaluate). The authors first theoretically highlighted how STEAM pedagogy addressed some of the issues concerning CLIL instruction and showed that 6E’s framework cohered with the 4C’s (culture, content, cognition, and communication) of pluriliteracies approach to CLIL. We then actuated this conceptualization through a case study exploring Indonesian EFL learners’ engagement in 16-meeting CLIL lessons by examining their multidimensional learning experiences, affectivity, and emotionality. Data were oriented to the contextual variables of effective learning from learners’ standpoint and collected through Academic Emotion Questionnaire (AEQ), language learning attitude battery, and reflection sheet distributed to 204 college learners in six CLIL classes with 6E’s framework. The findings demonstrated the potency of 6E’s framework to provide vital scaffolding for discipline-specific literacies through scientific inquiry in language learning. The framework stimulated intensive multidimensional learning, positive academic emotions, and positive attitudes toward CLIL lessons. Students’ reflections underscored how the framework paved engaging authentic language tasks and science projects as essential drives for intrinsic motivation to learn content and language despite limited linguistic repertoires.

Predictive assessment of learners through initial interactions with encoding techniques in deep learning

<p>Recent academic research has prominently focused on predicting student achievements in online learning. However, ongoing challenges persist for teachers and researchers, primarily revolving around the selection of relevant features. To address this issue, the study aims to predict the correlation between the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and students’ performance based solely on their initial interactions with the platform during the initial segment of the course module within the annual study sequence of the academic year 2014–2015. The assessment employed a specialized data model that integrates the chronological order of a learner’s interactions with the educational materials provided on the online learning platform throughout the sequence employing data from the Open University Learning Analytics Dataset (OULAD), which included 32,593 undergraduates in all courses. Innovative methods, such as the VLE, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural network rooted in deep learning, were applied to ensure the prediction of student achievement. Preliminary findings demonstrated a 60% accuracy of the model using only learner interaction data within the first third of the course duration and employing various variable encoding techniques. The successful integration of the esteemed OULAD, combined with the implementation of an LSTM neural network architecture in our data model, proved to be a highly effective strategy. This approach yielded valuable perceptions facilitating the identification of crucial data points essential for predicting student success and contributing to informed decision-making in formulating strategies to assess and support student performance effectively.</p>

Does multilingualism affect foreign language classroom anxiety and foreign language enjoyment?

Multilingual foreign language learners have been found to typically experience less Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) and more Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) than their less multilingual peers. Since most existing research was based on single databases, authors had to be careful to avoid sweeping generalisations about the positive effect of multilingualism. In order to increase validity, the current paper will investigate the link between the degree of multilingualism and two learner emotions using three different existing databases that contained relevant data but where multilingualism was not part of the research questions in the subsequent papers. Participants who contributed to the first database were 360 FL learners in a Kuwaiti university, the second database included data from 502 English Foreign Language (EFL) learners in secondary schools and universities in Morocco, and the third database included data from 181 pre-teen EFL learners in secondary schools in France. Separate statistical analyses of the three databases confirmed that multilingualism was linked to significantly higher FLE in all three databases and to lower FLCA in two out of the three databases. This suggests that knowing more languages contributes to more positive and fewer negative emotions in the FL class.

Triggers for Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety: Perceptions of Saudi EFL College Students

The primary aim of the present study is to investigate foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA) levels and the factors triggering language speaking anxiety among Saudi EFL college learners. The study adopted a mixed-method approach to meet the research objectives. A Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) questionnaire was employed. The sample of the study consisted of 39 male Saudi students at Al-Quaiyah College of Technology. Subsequently, eight of the most anxious students were identified based on the questionnaire results. The results revealed that the participants experienced a moderate level of FLSA in their English class. The participants reported several major causes of their speaking anxiety in the language class, such as a lack of preparation and vocabulary knowledge, forced participation, and other teacher-related factors. The study recommends that teachers should inform their students about what will be discussed in advance to help them become more prepared and less anxious. Moreover, teachers should encourage and motivate students to participate in oral activities instead of forcing them.

Exploring the Relationship between Career Satisfaction and University Learning Using Data Science Models

Current research on the career satisfaction of graduates limits educational institutions in devising methods to attain high career satisfaction. Thus, this study aims to use data science models to understand and predict career satisfaction based on information collected from surveys of university alumni. Five machine learning (ML) algorithms were used for data analysis, including the decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting, support vector machine, and neural network models. To achieve optimal prediction performance, we utilized the Bayesian optimization method to fine-tune the parameters of the five ML algorithms. The five ML models were compared with logistic and ordinal regression. Then, to extract the most important features of the best predictive model, we employed the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), a novel methodology for extracting the significant features in ML. The results indicated that gradient boosting is a marginally superior predictive model, with 2–3% higher accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) compared to logistic and ordinal regression. Interestingly, concerning low career satisfaction, those with the worst scores for the phrase “how frequently applied knowledge, skills, or technological tools from the academic training” were less satisfied with their careers. To summarize, career satisfaction is related to academic training, alumni satisfaction, employment status, published articles or books, and other factors.

A Critical Assessment of the Effectiveness of TET Fund Intervention on Multimedia Digital Learning and Computer-Based Examinations in Colleges of Education in South East Nigeria

A Critical Assessment of the Effectiveness of TET Fund Intervention on Multimedia Digital Learning and Computer-Based Examinations in Colleges of Education in South East Nigeria