by Elliott Nkoma, Zivanai Samson and Herbert Zirima
Original Research
The study sought to compare teachers’ views on the preparation for grade 7 examinations between urban and peri-urban primary schools in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe. Four primary schools were purposively selected comprising of two from each school location. 60 teachers (30 from each school location) volunteered to participate. A convergence parallel design was utilized. The results show that teachers in peri-urban schools received lower scores (M = 4.30, SD = 1.52) than did those teachers in urban areas (M = 7.00, SD = 1.73), t (58) = 34.57, p < 0.01, two tailed. The size of this effect is large (effect size r = 0.95). Most urban teachers had above 16 years teaching experience, while most peri-urban teachers had between 6 to 10 years teaching experience, χ2 (1, N = 60) = 19.08, p < 0.05. Although the two variables are not independent of each other, the strength of the association between them is moderate (V = 0.56). The lecture method was a form of instruction for both school locations. After completion of the syllabuses the use of past examinations papers will be frequent in urban schools. Lack of resources and unknown school missions hamper teachers’ effectiveness in teaching in peri-urban schools.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 927-932. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-13
Pub. Date: September 26, 2017
5926 Views2015 Downloads
by Isoken Ogboro and Mon Nwadiani
Original Research
Secondary education is a key aspect of educational development. It is so core that it bridges the gap between two levels of education that matters in knowledge based economy. The utilization of teachers in their subject areas is critical to performance and the survival of this level of education. This study had the broad objective to investigate the Deployment and Utilization of Graduate Teachers and performance in Public Secondary Schools Experiences in Edo State. The specific objectives were to determine the level of utilization of graduate teachers in Edo State public senior secondary schools and to identify the level of deployment of graduate teachers in the different teaching subjects in Edo State public senior secondary schools. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was made up of 3366 graduate teachers deployed to 306 public secondary schools in the 18 local government areas as at 2010/2011. A sample size of 396 graduates using multi-stage randomly selected procedure determination from a finite population. Questionnaires were distributed to be filled and returned. Validity of the instrument was measured using content validity, and this was done by experts from the academia. Internal consistency was done using Cronbach alpha coefficient test statistic to test the reliability of the instrument, yielding a coefficient of 0.78. The hypotheses were tested using Pearson product moment correlation at 5% probability level of significance and regression analysis with charts for illustrations. The findings indicated that: There is low deployment and uneven distribution of graduate teachers to public schools in Edo State. Also, poor utilization of these teachers was very obvious. Thus, the study concluded that job performance would be very low. The study therefore recommended that government should carry out an analysis to fill areas of scarcity, rationalize distribution of teachers and ensure there is a balance in deployment. This will create a fair system of graduate teachers’ deployment in both urban and rural areas especially in mathematics and English subjects.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 917-926. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-12
Pub. Date: September 09, 2017
8094 Views2035 Downloads
by Ihab B Abdalrahman and Shaima Nasr Eldeen Mohamed Elgenaid
Original Research
Pareto rule states that 20% of activates are repeated 80% of time. Critical care required highly competent and well-trained health care providers. In low resource countries, it is challenging and expensive and time consuming to design a comprehensive educational program. We wonder if application of Pareto principle can help in designing critical care educational program. Aim of this study is to assess the frequency of repeated activities and interventions in ICU. This is a cross-sectional study, data collected from ICUs of seven hospitals in Khartoum. Total number of patients was 52 with mean age of 48.3 years and total number of ICU days of study population was 431 days. Regarding nurses’ intervention 12 items (44%) were done by nursing staff all the time. out of common lab tests six of them (21.4%) were requested for almost 80% or more of patients. Very few medications (114) out of 1453 drug approved by FDA were ordered to our study population, which represent 7.84%. In conclusion, Pareto principle is appealing in a way that enables us to discover the commonly used activities in ICU. It might be feasible to create an educational program in critical care by starting with commonly done intervention then expanding.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 913-916. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-11
Pub. Date: September 09, 2017
5758 Views1891 Downloads
by Ma. Del Carmen Nolasco Salcedo, Liliana Serrano Zúñiga and Mireya Cacho Ruíz
Review Article
In this project, we sought to know and understand the perceptions of professors in computer education programs and computing concerning the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in order to propose communication-effective strategies that would promote the increased use of these tools through an interpretive study. For this, a mixed approach, based on surveys and semi-structured interviews with professors at Centro Universitario Ciénega, through which it was determined that some teachers continue to be reluctant to use ICT in their teaching practice. However, there is a large opening up toward the integration of ICT and agreement in stating that these tools comprise the teaching aids that the professor uses to manage the educational process in a different manner. Nonetheless, consideration of the use of technological tools in the classroom must derive from personal motivation and from recognition of the educational potential that they possess in the teaching-learning process, and not only for being on a par with the requirements of the current society. Strategies of awareness, motivation, and support by the Centro Universitario Ciénega and its academic departments are required for the effective integration of ICT in teaching.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 908-912. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-10
Pub. Date: September 07, 2017
6756 Views2861 Downloads
by Fernando de Oliveira Souza
Original Research
This dissertation aims to investigate planning and implemented strategies to integrate curricular components associated with Language and Language Arts in High School. To accomplish it, a teacher research [13] was developed. The chosen methodological design was organized in two consecutive phases. The first one has a bibliographical and documental nature. It aimed to analyze integration which already existed within the curricular components and among them, in the context of a Technical School in São Paulo State. The second phase is empirical and the researcher took part as a teacher, introducing in his classes of Portuguese Language and Literature the identified integration of the first phase in order to analyze the students’ perceptions concerning subject matter integration within the Language area. In conclusion, curricular integration can start by the teacher’s attitude towards content inside the classroom. Beyond the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, teacher can start by a specific topic that he needs to teach and establish relationships with other subjects and curricular components. Finally, this research shows that teacher-research collaborates to professionalization of teachers. Apart from that, specifically within Language courses, this research indicates that Literature has the potential to be a great center of curricular integration.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 894-907. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-9
Pub. Date: August 30, 2017
6436 Views2447 Downloads13 Likes
by Laxmiram Gope, Santosh Kumar Behera and Rajashri Roy
Original Research
‘Indigenous knowledge’ is community-centric by nature, which reflects community practices and usually possesses deep connection with land, locale and community. Indigenous knowledge is highly tactic and hence it is quite difficult to codify and document Indigenous knowledge. Apart, indigenous knowledge usually disseminates across generation through content and by virtue of observing the various community practices. Indigenous knowledge is highly personalized, and community centric. Therefore, it appears that indigenous knowledge is community specific and traditional by nature. The study aims to know the indigenous practices and their utilization pattern for sustainable development among the Santhal community. To fulfill the objectives, the researchers undertook extensive library work and fields survey. During the survey, it was observed that Santhal community uses various traditional practices. These practices are traditional health care, child rearing practice, agriculture, housing, water preservation, animal nurturing, fishing, forest resource management and so on. This study shows that these practices possess high relevance for achieving sustainability in specific three dimensions viz., social, economic and environmental.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 887-893. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-8
Pub. Date: August 19, 2017
8491 Views3312 Downloads2 Likes
by Yuli Astuti
Literature Review
This paper aims to discuss the theory and practice of assessment of the results of geography learning at the senior high school in Indonesia. Geography consists of three components, the subject matter studied, skills, and perspectives. The subject matter learned in geography is a summary of the essential knowledge, is the foundation of standard geography. This subject matter is the basis of the use of the skills of geography. Geography education is the application of geography in education. Based on the syllabus curriculum, the principle of assessment used in the subjects of geography is based on class or authentic. In general when examined, geography skills with the learning process of the curriculum there is conformity between learning outcomes assessment of theoretical subjects of geography in Indonesia is in compliance or already measure aspects of geography skills. Based on several researches in terms of practice, geography skills assessment of learners on the subjects of geography in Indonesia is affected by the competence of teachers, the learning models applied by the teachers, learning materials are used, as well as the motivation of the teachers to the students related the importance of mastering the skills of geography.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 879-886. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-7
Pub. Date: August 18, 2017
6748 Views2534 Downloads
by Maria Teresa Cortes, Eduardo Acosta-Arreguín, Mariana Fouilloux, Rocío García and Ileana Petra
Original Research
Introduction. The Development and Personal Growth competency of medical students is relevant for their integral formation, so it has been important to include it in the curriculum. The purpose of this research is to describe the characteristics of this competency in students from the first year of the career of medicine in the middle of the school year and identify if any of the components of this factor influence his/her performance in school. Methodology. It is a descriptive and comparative study carried out with students from the first year medical school. Using a Likert type eleven-scale questionnaire (self-esteem, self-awareness, commitment, creativity, resilience and coping, self-criticisms and, optimism, empathy, commitment, assertiveness and leadership, Teamwork, social and interpersonal skills). Main findings. Less than a third of the students reported "always" or "usually" behaviors that account for a proper development in all of the eleven scales. Women obtained better scores than men in most of the scales of personal growth and development. Students from private educational institutions obtained higher scores self-awareness and emotional expression, on this scale than from public schools, and they obtained higher academic results. Conclusions and its significance. Taking into consideration the above, the purpose of this study is to associate these studied factors with one of the competencies “Development and Personal Growth”. It is very important that students who are going through this period receive support by not only Mental Health Programs, but by their teachers, that can participate by understanding and helping their students in these situations. So getting to know these weak links in the growth and development of our students may help us to develop strategies to improve cognitive, procedural skills and attitudes necessary for their professional life.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 871-878. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-6
Pub. Date: August 10, 2017
6582 Views2173 Downloads1 Likes
by Victor Wakeling and Patricia R Robertson
Original Research
In a study conducted at a large, public university, the authors collected data to measure the relationship between student behavior and performance in an online undergraduate finance class based on two different course formats: instructor-regulated versus student-regulated. The quantitative study indicated significant differences in student behavior when given the self-regulated option, which correlated with deterioration in overall student performance. The study found that when students were given the flexibility to fully control course pacing, there was a statistically significant difference in their pattern of taking quizzes, especially missing quizzes entirely. Also, these students collectively exhibited statistically significant lower overall exam scores. This suggests that some students either do not choose to or experience difficulty with managing their time in a self-paced learning structure.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 863-870. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-5
Pub. Date: August 10, 2017
8462 Views2410 Downloads2 Likes
by Taoufik Boulhrir
Original Research
Home literacy environment has ubiquitously been investigated against its impact on academic achievement and reading motivation. This study is an investigation of the long-lasting effects of home literacy environment on Moroccan students’ reading motivation. 178 students aged 14-24 were surveyed online to elicit their early-age home literacy experiences and to test them against the odds of their reading motivation. Using data gathered on such environments and experiences, a binary logistic regression inferential test was conducted to test if students who grow up in literacy-rich home environments are more likely to be motivated readers, and vice versa. The purpose of using this test in particular is to find out whether reading motivation can be predicted based on home literacy environment data. The accuracy of prediction of this test can be indicative of its potential to detect and diagnose reading motivation at various academic levels. As far as findings of this study are concerned the BLR test affirms that the odds of reading motivation being tied to HLE factors are significantly high. Using BLR to predict, diagnose, and intervene may help educators, parents, and curricula developers in considering HLE and early-age literacy experiences in policy making and curricula designs.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 858-862. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-4
Pub. Date: August 09, 2017
7105 Views2377 Downloads4 Likes
by Ebtisam Bakheet AL – Benayyan
Original Research
The present study aimed to identify the effectiveness of a proposed training program in developing core thinking skills among 1stgrade middle stage students, and to identify the impact of the development of core thinking skills through the teaching of family education on the development of the 1stgrade middle school students' thinking. It also aimed to identify the impact of developing core thinking skills on the achievement of the 1st grade middle school students through the teaching of family education. Thus, it explores the effectiveness of a proposed training program in developing core thinking skills among the 1st grade middle stage students, and it identifies the impact of the proposed program on the development of achievement and core thinking skills. The experimental methodology based on pre- and post-tests was adopted in this study and the sample consisted of (36) female students of the 1st grade middle school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It revealed the effectiveness of the proposed program in developing core thinking skills of the 1st grade middle school students and its high impact on academic achievement.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 848-857. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-3
Pub. Date: August 09, 2017
5539 Views1496 Downloads
by Maria Antonieta A. Bacabac
Original Research
This study was aimed at analyzing the factors affecting the mathematics achievement of the high performing Grade 10 mathematics students in selected public high schools in Cagayan de Oro City. The independent variables considered in the study were parents’ occupation, parents’ educational attainment, student’s beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics, study habits and teacher’s personal factors such as educational qualification and teaching experience. To determine if the independent variables affect the academic performance of the high performing Grade 10 students, regression analysis was used. The results revealed that the best predictors among the variables which significantly affected the achievement of the high performing Grade 10 mathematics students are father’s occupation, the Grade 9 teacher’s educational qualification and the Grade 9 and 10 teachers’ teaching experience. The study implies that mathematics teachers have greatly influenced the mathematics achievements of the respondents. On the other hand, the father, as the head of the family, also affects the academic performance of his child. He must have an occupation or work that serves as regular source of income to support the needs of his family.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 843-847. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-2
Pub. Date: August 03, 2017
9678 Views3167 Downloads1 Likes
by Oluwatosin Victor Ajayi and Josiah Ogbeba
Original Research
The study examined the effect of gender on students’ achievement in stoichiometry using hands-on activities. A sample of 292 students from eight purposively selected secondary schools out of a population of 8,381 SS II students from zone C of Benue State, Nigeria was used for the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design. Stoichiometry Achievement Test (SAT) was used for data collection. Reliability coefficient of 0.92 was established using Pearson correlation moment coefficient. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The study revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean achievement scores between male and female students taught stoichiometry using hands-on activities; (F(1, 145) = 4.160, p>0.05). It also found no significant interaction effect between methods and gender on the mean achievement scores of students in stoichiometry; (F(1, 291) = 0.11, p>0.05). It was recommended among others that since hands-on activities method is not gender sensitive therefore both male and female students should be involved in hands-on activities to enhance their achievement in stoichiometry.
American Journal of Educational Research. 2017, 5(8), 839-842. DOI: 10.12691/education-5-8-1
Pub. Date: July 27, 2017
9588 Views2778 Downloads2 Likes