MOSP - Macao Scientific Publishers

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A scienceâ€“technologyâ€“society paradigm and Cross River State secondary school studentsâ€™ scientific literacy: problem solving and decision making

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Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Science-Technology-Society (STS) curriculum on students’ scientific literacy, problem solving and decision making. Four hundred and eighty (480) Senior Secondary two science and non-science students were randomly selected from intact classes in six secondary schools in Calabar Municipality of Cross River State. The experimental and control groups each comprised 120 science and 120 non science majors randomly assigned to them. The experimental group was exposed to researcher designed and validated Curriculum in Science-Technology-Society (COSTS) for 24 weeks at 2 h per week. The control group followed the normal existing science curriculum. A quasi experimental factorial design was used to identify the effect of COSTS if any scientific literacy, problem solving and decision making ability in coping with socio-scientific issues. The Test on Science-Technology-Society (TOSTS) was administered to both experi-mental and control groups. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using covariance and the result emerged that students taught using the COSTS performed significantly better in scien-tific literacy, problem solving, and decision making than students who were not exposed to COSTS materials. This study highlights the need for an alternative science curriculum that will make students to be scientifically literate, problem solvers, and rational decision makers in a society riddled with science and technological problems.[...] Read More.

Keywords: Curriculum, scientific literacy, problem solving and decision making.

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Primary teacherâ€™s perceptions of classroom assessment practices as means of providing quality primary/basic education by Botswana and Nigeria

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Abstract: More than any other of its aspects, assessment plays a central role in determining the quality of education. Quality of primary/basic education (QoE) can be viewed as the extent to which the process of education at the primary education level maximizes desirable outcomes in terms of cognitive, affective and psychomotor behaviour of the learners. Given human resources demand for development in the society some cognitive skills are more desirable than others. Hence education, to meet the skill demand of the society must ensure the development of such desirable skills among learners. Since teachers are the key executors in the processes of ensuring the development of these skills, their perception as to the level to which each of such skills differ in enhancing quality of primary/basic education, and the level to which current assessment practices ensure the development of each of these skills are important in any attempt to contribute solution to the problem of quality in basic education in Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which primary school teachers in Botswana and Nigeria perceive the six levels of Bloom’s cognitive behaviour as being different in the extent to which they enhance quality in basic education and the level to which their current classroom assessment practices involve items that measure each of these levels of cognitive behaviour. Survey data from 191 primary school teachers from Gaborone district in Botswana, and 300 similar teachers from Delta State in Nigeria were analysed using repeated measure ANOVA to test related hypotheses. The main finding was that there is a significant discrepancy between the level to which, in the perception of the teachers, each of Bloom’s level of cognitive behaviour enhances quality of education and the level to which their classroom assessment practices are able to provide for the development of such behaviour among learners. The results were discussed and recommendations made on how to enhance quality in primary/basic education through classroom assessment practices.[...] Read More.

Keywords: Primary/basic education, assessment, quality of education, Bloom taxonomy of human cognitive behaviour.

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Examination of teaching â€“ learning process in swimming applying Chaffersâ€™ system of interaction categories

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Abstract: The focus of this research is to examine the role of student-teacher interaction during swimming les-sons. Forty-nine (49) elementary school PE teachers, swimming trainers and instructors (28 females, 21 males) consented to participate in this study. A total of seventy-seven (77) swimming lessons were videotaped and coded with the Cheffers’ Adaptation of Flanders Interaction Analysis System (CAFIAS). Altogether 177.434 tri-seconds were observed. In the lessons teacher’s observation were most prevalent (31, 11%), teacher’s explanation (19, 29%) and organization (13, 52%) seemed also notable. Students spend most of the swimming lessons with motor- related activities (77%). It is important to state that teachers who teach swimming develop a high level of non -verbal activity. From the analyses of the data, it can conclude that in this special area of teaching, the teacher – student interactions and communications that evolve are content specific and so different from those evolving in classrooms or PE lessons.[...] Read More.

Keywords: Interaction types, teacher effectiveness, field analysis; physical education; swimming instruction.

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How teachers develop their professional knowledge in English study group in Taiwan

Yi-Ching Huang

Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative research was to understand the perceptions of Taiwanese teachers of the effects of a study group on their professional growth in the workplace. This case study employed the following data collection techniques: (1) informal observations and interviews, (2) focus group interview, (3) semi- structured individual interviews and (4) documents and records. The site selected for this study was the National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School in Chia-Yi City in Taiwan. The participants in this study included eight members of the English Teachers Club. Although the focus of this club was offering opportunities for members to practice and improve their English, it functioned as a teacher study group. Specifically, the reported benefits of this professional development activity included: learning English as a foreign language, gaining ideas for improving classroom English instruction, sharing teaching experiences, stimulating positive dispositions to learning, and fostering intellectual development. These benefits, I argue, helped participants to develop content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, fostering of continuing learning, and cognitive/intellectual and theoretical development. The experiences of the teacher study group at Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School revealed some of the successes and problems that the teachers experienced as their involvement in a study group evolved.[...] Read More.

Keywords: Professional development, study group, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge.

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Prior presentation of behavioural objectives and studentsâ€™ achievement in biology

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Abstract: This study investigated the effect of providing students with the objectives of a lesson before the lesson delivery on their achievement at the end of the lesson. Two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The quasi-experimental pretest- posttest -control group design was used, with a total of 4 groups. All four groups were taught the same lessons using the same materials and methods. Three of the groups were shown objectives at various time intervals before the lesson, while 4th group was taught without prior knowledge of behaviour objectives. The test instruments (Biology Achievement Test) consisted of 50 multiple choice objective- reference questions that were administered before the commencement of the teaching as pretest and after completion of the teaching as post-test. The data collected was analyzed by Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and the Schefe’s Pairwise comparison. The results indicated a significant effect at 0.05 alpha levels. The implications are discussed and recommendations made.[...] Read More.

Keywords: Prior presentation, behavioural objectives, students’ achievement in biology.

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Difficulty and discriminating indices of three-multiple choice tests using the confidence scoring procedure

M. S. Omirin

Abstract: The study investigated the comparison of the difficulty and discrimination incides of three multiple choice tests using the confidence scoring procedure (CSP) . The study was also set to determine whether or not the difficulty and discrimination indices would be improved, if the tests were scored by the confidence scoring procedure. Two null hypotheses were generated and tested at 0.05 significance level. The population consisted of all SS2 Secondary School Students in Gbonyin local government of Ekiti State in Nigeria. A sample 450 students was selected using the purposive and proportional sampling techniques. Questionnaires containing 50-items achievement test in mathematics (in three formats) were constructed and administered on the students. The three multiple-choice tests were mixed and the testees did not know that they were answering different forms of the same test. The test scripts were scored using the confidence scoring method. Data were analyzed using the student t-tests and ANOVA. The result revealed that the contribution of blind guessing to testees was not directly related to the discrimination and difficulty indices of the three multiple-choice tests used. The confidence scoring procedure improved significantly the difficulty index of multiple-choice tests but did not significantly improve the discrimination index of three-index test used. The result showed that confidence scoring procedure reward partial knowledge of testees on the multiple-choice tests. It was recommended that confidence-scoring procedure should be encouraged for scoring multiple-choice tests, it discourages guessing.[...] Read More.

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Inclusive education and policy in Saudi Arabia

Abdallelh Alharbi and Abdullah Madhesh

Abstract: This paper investigates how Saudi Arabia supports inclusive education by closely examining its policy and legislative frameworks. By exploring what is meant by ‘right’s, ‘integration’ and ‘inclusion’ this article provides a critical perspective on Saudi educational policy and its lack of effectiveness in the school systems. Employing a modified version of Bacchi’s ‘What Problem is Represented?’ (WPR) approach, this study looks behind the policy itself and concludes that while Saudi Arabia’s policy and legislation is consistent with international policy and human rights legislation, there is much work to be done before inclusive education is achieved in Saudi Arabia. Keywords: Inclusive education, inclusion, special education, educational policy, Bacchi’s (WPR), Saudi Arabia.[...] Read More.

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Appreciation of the formative experiences of cooperating teachers and their use during practical training in physical education

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Abstract: The Cooperating Teacher is recognized as a central figure in the initial training of teachers and the preparation for the exercise of this role has been spare and understood as a matter of great importance. The appreciation of the formative experiences is an important process for the construction of personal conceptions of the Cooperating Teacher in Physical Education. This study tried to unveil relations training path of the Cooperating Teacher with their current conceptions about their role in the formation of student-trainee and the organization of the stage. Fifteen Cooperating Teacher were interviewed, from the 3rd cycle and secondary education, selected on the basis of their teaching experience and experience for guidance. A model of open-response surveys was used, before data introduction at NVivo, for qualitative analysis. Trainers, training models, components of training, practical training or experience are related to current concepts of formation of Cooperating Teacher from an evaluation of its usefulness, coherence and consistency of the conceptual basis of his speech and the direction and intensity of affective charge established. Key-words: Physical Education; Supervised Teaching; Formative Experiences.[...] Read More.

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Integration of different management styles among school directors

Majić Ćirić, Simić Jonić and Dulić Petrović

Abstract: Management style can be defined as a special behavior of directors in the work process that affects the performance in an organization, in this case-school. Management style has two related meanings: first is behavior of directors to employees, second is directors’ approach in school regarding management, participation of employees in decision making processes, relationships and communication. The aim of the research is to determine the integration of different management styles among school directors – autocratic, democratic and delegating. Research sample included 16 high school directors in Kragujevac region in Serbia. All high schools in this region were examined, so we could get a full insight in specific way of director management at these institutions. The main conclusion of the research is that management styles in school, e.g. autocratic, democratic and delegating style are integrated and inseparable from each other. Director has to be familiar with all the styles of management, and also to use those that are most effective in a particular situation and the most convenient to work with teachers and users. Key words: Style approach, leadership, school director, autocratic, democratic and delegating way of management.[...] Read More.

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Attitudes of Turkish language teachersâ€™ towards their stuttering students

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Abstract: Stuttering is a speech defect which is seen in all countries. Stuttering affects fluency of speech due to some physiological, psychological and neurological causes. Protractions, clogs and repeats are seen in stuttering. Since it will probably result in social handicaps, stuttering should be considered as more important than other speech defects. There are many physiological, mental and psychological factors affecting stuttering. Findings of researches show that in addition to environmental factors, psychological measures are also important in the treatment of stuttering. One of the factors which affect the student most is the teacher. The attitude of teacher affects stuttering student, too. The aim of this research is to determine the attitudes of teachers toward stuttering students. The research was carried out with the participation of 290 teachers who work in Malatya Province. A stuttering scale, developed by the researcher, was administered to 219 primary school teachers and 71 Turkish language teachers. The scale consists of failure, awareness and abstraction sub-dimensions. Teachers develop positive attitudes considering these sub dimensions. In addition, we also investigated whether attitudes of teachers toward stuttering students differ in terms of their gender, branches, length of service, having had stuttering student, and having read books on stuttering.[...] Read More.

Keywords: Stuttering, education of Turkish Language, language education, teacher attitude.

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